


The Millenium Rose

by rmorningstar21



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: F/M, Millenium Items, x Reader
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-16
Updated: 2020-02-02
Packaged: 2020-12-17 15:04:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 40
Words: 49,629
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21056381
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rmorningstar21/pseuds/rmorningstar21
Summary: This is going to be the combined book of the series I have on Wattpad (The Cursed Millennium Rose/The Struggling Millennium Rose).Wandering for 5,000 years in a 16 year old body, you seek your husband's return.  After so long, you begin to give up hope, just to meet the reincarnation of those that you held so dear in the past.  How will you be able to save the world with your dear Pharaoh with the jealousy of the Thief King following you, as well as the evil plan of Marik Ishtar?





	1. I

_ A chill crawled up your spine, stinging with each centimeter it moved, grasping your hands tightly to your arms to attempt to shield yourself. Though you were not sure exactly what you were shielding yourself from, abiet the pain or the darkness that was engulfing your body. As you felt the darkness falling hard upon you, like a weighted blanket that you could not hold, a faint light laid on the floor, illuminating each twisting maze as you stepped. Each time you walked further through the maze, you could feel the pain increasing, beginning to make your steps more and more tedious. You attempted to call out, to call for his name in the dark, with no avail. Your mouth opened, but as the air escaped your lungs, your voice did not ring. It was almost like choking - the pain that strode into your lungs from your throat - but you could not utter a single word.  _

_ Hours passed as you circled the maze, walking in each and every stone cold direction, the pain of the chills slowly seething your skin. Your surroundings were blackness, and yet you seemed to walk in a labrynth, swearing that you had turned this way prior, been in each and every spot before, again and again. Inaudible cries of pain burned in your throat as you continued to walk on, your legs growing tired, lungs constricting. Hopelessness swelled in your chest as you continued on and on, silent tears beginning to fall from your tired eyes.  _

_ Your tired, crying eyes met a figure, merely ten feet away from where you were walking in what seemed like a room. For a moment you froze, studying the figure, but as you were met with lilac orbs, you took your exhausted legs and ran towards the figure. The small glimmer of hope taunted you, showing you the man that kept your legs going on your weighted journey, lonesome darkness entangling down to your very soul. Hope swelled in your chest as you ran, but as you did the room began to get further away, his lilac orbs seeming to grow smaller and smaller away from your vision. Still your feet patted forward until there was no ground beneath you. _

_ As the ground had disappeared, you had begun your journey downward. Hastily the gravity took your body, plummeting into a deep abyss. Tears once again rained from your eyes. Your heart dropped as you did, and you tried so hard to scream, feeling it scratching at your throat, constricting it. _

_ He was gone, and you had failed to reach him. _


	2. II

You awoke with soaked cheeks and labored breaths, before glancing around and realizing that you were not in that labrynth any longer.  _ Another nightmare, _ you thought to yourself, though every day you lived the nightmares that you slept with.  _ I miss him. _ Ironically, your nightmares had held your memory intact over time, reminding you of the reason you kept on fighting day in and day out in this monotonous world. Though you would never be able to forget his handsome face, his lilac orbs burned into your skull. As your y/e/c eyes scanned the room, it was simply a relatively plain room surrounding you, little trinkets upon your dresser in the form of plush monsters, and your deck sitting comfortably next to a kuriboh plush that you had grown to adore. Attempting to steady your breath, you wiped your face free of the salty sadness and glanced at the time flashing upon your alarm clock, your eyes still holding a light redness from when you had been crying in your sleep. Springing to your feet, you nearly fell over, steadying yourself on the side of your bed before further action. Your head was woozy with the newfound movement, the room slowly coming back to you as your dizzy spell passed you.

Making your way to your small, gray walled bathroom, you threw your prior clothes aside and hopped into a quick shower. Hastily you scrubbed yourself with your f/s body gel, not getting enough time to even enjoy the kisses of the warm water that drenched over your frigid body. In less than five minutes time, you were already dressed, hair dried, and grabbing at your black messenger bag that laid next to the door. You tucked your deck safely into your bag before gentle fingers reached to touch lightly upon your golden wristband. For a moment, you allow your eyes to close, thinking of your wristband. It held the symbol to keep your life intact as well as cursed, leaving you to deal with the merits and disappointments of this life. Then as your eyes were still closed, those lilac eyes showed in your mind, reminding you of the reason you keep on with this silly charade, hoping that one day everything will change.

Practically jogging out the door, you made your way to your new life once again. Domino High School, as you read upon the sign, looked bustling and boring from the eyes of a woman who had attended countless high school’s over time. The crowds had shown that it was definitely a more lively school than the last you had attended, though not as lively as the one you had attended prior. Maybe if you did not forever look 16, you would not have to attend so many boring lectures in your life, but you had attended plenty in your time, across the globe. Each curriculum merely had minor changes to it, if any, and you had to purposely get things wrong from time to time to not seem out of the ordinary. The world changed and grew around you, while you stayed the same, the same h/c h/l, and young y/e/c orbs. The only thing that had changed over time was your skin, which had lightened from your egyptian tan to a pale ivory, just as everyone else looked around you. It was just another boring day in monotony for you, but there was a presence around that had kept you on your toes as you entered your newfound high school. You could feel something was different in the world now, which had rose excitement and fear in your young body.

***

You were coming out of your geometry class, holding your books tightly to your chest and walking quickly to your locker before lunch, your eyes at your feet as you walked. As you did so, you were lost in thought, and before you knew it, you whacked directly into something solitary, causing you to stumble backwards, staring up in a moment of terror. What you had found was that you ended up slamming directly into another student, and blush began rising in your cheeks from the embarrassment. It was needless to say that the boy looked unpleasant with his round face that seemed to hold a permanent scowl. The boy looked as if he were maybe 17, largely boned, while you had a very tiny frame, yet he glared angrily at you as if you had pushed him off of a cliff. On the other hand, you were the one with the books scattered all over the ground, and the impact had caused your tailbone to whack the floor, causing a sharp, yet temporary pain.

“I’m so sorry!” you said frantically, grabbing your books quickly and pulling yourself to your feet. You bowed slightly in respect and began to rush off before you felt a pull at the back of your uniform. Seconds later, you were pinned against the wall, staring up at the unpleasant boy you had angered, his face looking even more unpleasant than previously. It was as if the anger building in him was surfacing due to what you would assume was a slight inconvenience. 

“Don’t think just because you’re new you can get away with that,” he growled, pressing harder against your shoulder. 

_ Just my luck that I run into the school bully on my first day here,  _ you thought to yourself, your heart pounding in your chest. This was not particularly an uncommon occurrence for you, seeing as you had attended plenty of high schools over the last couple thousand years, but nevertheless, you were still a relatively scrawny girl with a 16 year old body. Old souls still did not have super strength, after all. Though you could likely send him to the shadow realm, doing something so rash on your first day would have been a mistake that you would have to live with for the rest of the time you could attend school there, and you shied away from that idea. “I didn’t mean to harm you,” you said cowering back, pain beginning to build in the shoulder he was pressing on. “I-I it’ll never happen again.” You attempted your best fake smile, and yet it dropped almost immediately as the rage fueled his face, watching it scrunch even more.

The boy drew his free hand back, and was about to send it directly into your face. You could see the build up, and your eyes squeezed shut tightly. After a few moments without impact, you opened your eyes back up to see the boy being held back by another student. “You shouldn’t hit a lady,” the slender boy said with the relatively pointed hair, all coming up at the top. As you finally were fully registering what was going on, you saw that the boy was holding the bully’s fist, twisting it slightly. “And if you don’t let go of her, we are going to have problems, buddy.” 

The school bully that was about to attack you cowardly ran away, letting go of your shoulder, and letting your body slump to the floor. You could hear a few people talking to the boy that had just saved you, but you were too busy trying to control your breathing, and attempting to ignore the pain that seared through your shoulder. After a few moments, you noticed a hand outstretched to you, paired with a gentle smile on the boy’s face whom had just saved you. With your good arm you had taken it, letting him bring you to your feet. 

“Uh, thank you, so very much,” you said bowing slightly, a formal gesture that you had not broken over so many years. You smiled softly at the boy, holding your books tightly to you, despite the pain that you felt still radiating through your shoulder. There was no doubt that the bully had at least left a bruise upon your shoulder from the pressure he was using, and though he was a coward to the boy that had saved you, he likely would have slammed a fist directly into your face.

“You’re new here, aren’t you?” the boy said with a genuine smile. 

You had nodded at his words, meekly saying, “I just moved here.” In actuality, of course you had just moved there, but you knew that every school was basically the same. Each school that you had run into, you had your share of those issues. Sometimes there were kind strangers willing to help, occasionally you had friends that had your back, and then sometimes you would have to deal with a swift fist hitting you somewhere. Bullies were a common occurrence for high schools, and that was one of the few things that made you regret not aging.

“I’m Tristan, and these are my friends.” He gestured back to the group you assumed you were hearing while you were still on the floor. 

“I’m Tea,” a girl with short brunette hair said with a kind smile.

A boy with a Brooklyn accent and blonde hair said next, “I’m Joey.”

And the last boy could have given you a heart attack standing right there. He said, “I’m Yugi,” but as you noticed the spiked multi color hair on his head, the first thing you thought of was him. Your heart skipped a beat, though the boy was definitely smaller than the one that you longed so desperately for. The differences were subtle, and yet you could see each one. His stature, for one, and for two, the shaping of his eyes was much more child-like than him, though they held the same lilac color. Yugi had a shy, yet kind smile upon his face, and continued with, “Would you like to come with us to lunch?”

For a moment, you bit your lip, unsure of what to say. As you weighed your options, you studied the group, though your eyes were mainly set upon the boy who called himself Yugi. He was so much like him, and yet not. If he was a reincarnation of him, would that be even possible? As your y/e/c orbs raked over the peculiar group, you noticed something odd hanging from the short boy’s neck. Just as your item held your wrist was Egyptian, you could clearly see that what he had was an artifact, a very familiar one for that matter. Thinking, you glanced to your wrist, and back to it, and it dawned upon you, making you nod quickly. “I-I would love to, thank you,” you said rushed, realizing that you had been standing there in awe and silence. “I’m Y/N, by the way.”

As you walked with the group, you couldn’t help but keep looking over at the Millennium Puzzle adorning the young boy’s neck.  _ Maybe, _ you wondered to yourself, but attempted to shake the thought of as you stood in line with the group and got lunch with them all.  _ Even if it was, would he remember me? _

When the group had gotten their lunches, you sat beside Tea and Yugi while Tristan and Joey sat across from you three. Through your peripheral vision, you would occasionally catch small glances of Yugi, particularly of the millennium item adorning his neck. Excitement was rising in your chest, even paired with a small bit of hope that you could be right. If the prophecy was truly real, then you would be right. What ifs ran through your mind as you thought more and more about it, though you attempted to keep regular conversation going on with the group when necessary. They seemed like kind people, and even if somehow you were wrong, you picked the right group to hang out with for this attended school.


	3. III

You spent the rest of the day with one of the friends in almost every class you had, which you were admittedly thankful of. The boy that saved you attempted to hit on you a bit, but you shrugged it off politely as you could. He was kind, but no one would compare to your one and only. It had been like that for centuries, and though it was lonely, you were fine with it. After all, you had made a promise to him that you refused to ever break, even after thousands of years. Love is a strong bond, and if it’s true, it does not break over weakness.

You learned a great deal about each friend throughout the classes, and did manage to help a few times when they were struggling. Tea was in your history class, while Tristan was in your Business class, while all three were in your chemistry class. Joey called you a genius when you helped him solve a quick chemistry problem, but all of these things were second nature to you by this point. The curriculum rarely changed, and you had been through the curriculum, lectures, and the tests numerous times. 

After school, the group headed over to Yugi’s grandfather’s card shop, and they browsed around a bit. You made it look like you were browsing as well, though nothing in the card shop interested you more than that puzzle upon Yugi’s neck. No matter how much you tried, you could not get it out of your mind, often taking glances over to it as inconspicuous as possible. Despite yourself, you had to seem polite to your new friends and not come off as weird, though. You did manage to save face by buying a small stack of rare cards that you had seen. His grandfather’s card shop was not relatively expensive anyhow, so you did not mind grabbing a few cards that you would not use.

Paying for the cards, you gave the older man a large smile, saying, “Thank you, sir.” Though you may never use half the cards that you had purchased that day, you wanted to be kind to the grandfather of your new friend. As any speciality shop, you doubted he was truly rolling in money, knowing that most people that would be interested in the shop were around your friends’ ages. He showed the group a prized card that was not for sale as well, a Blue Eyes White Dragon. You smiled softly to yourself, knowing yours was tucked away peacefully in a drawer in your room. Rarely did you ever use the Blue Eyes, but it was a card to be proud of. 

After a while, the group had made their way outside, slowly parting ways. The sun was beginning to set, and it was a school night after all. Though there was not a great deal of homework assigned on the first day, everyone needed to wind down and sleep. You watched Tristan say his goodbye first, before running off in the direction of his home. Tea had left shortly afterwards, giving you a hug before she left. From what she was saying earlier, it seemed as if she was just happy to have another female friend, which you could not blame her for. When the two of you hugged, you were hesitant at first, but gave her what she wished for before waving her off for the night. Joey was last, and had made the hint that he wished to hug you as well, to which you shrugged him off, letting the ever so disappointed Joey trudge on home.

Yugi and yourself stood outside of the Game Shop, and he was about to turn to head in, when you tapped on his shoulder. “Hey, can I talk to you before you go?” you said softly, as if someone were to overhear you. The streets were not nearly as busy as they were during the day, barely a soul in sight, but you could not help being embarrassed by your inquiry. After all, you barely knew Yugi for even a full day. 

The short boy’s eyes were bright and happy as he said, “Of course, we can sit over there if you’d like.” He motioned over to the bench beside you, which through your time hanging outside with the group, you had not even noticed. A smile curled on your lips, and you nodded in acknowledgement, the two of you both shifting over to the bench. 

Sucking in a shaky breath, you attempted to figure out how to ask the boy such an odd question. “So, uh, um,” you started, skipping on your words and trying to fill the silence. “I wanted to ask, and this may be really odd.” You began fiddling around with your fingertips, and you finally locked eyes once again with the boy. “It’s not just you, is it?”

“What do you mean?” the boy asked, seeming somewhat puzzled, his head tilting somewhat to exaggerate his confusion.

You pointed to his millennium puzzle adorning his neck cautiously, as if you were to point any more obviously the world would be set aflame. By this point, you felt heat rising in your cheeks, feeling incredibly awkward with your inquiry. It may have been the way that you had phrased it, but you felt so weird asking. “I mean, it’s not just you in there,” you said cautiously, hoping he would catch on. “Do you mind if I ask whom?”

For a moment, the boy looked simply flabbergasted at your question, and began scrambling to try to find an answer for you. He likely went over the initial idea of lying, wondering if he was to trust you with such information as that. After all, why would someone know about a spirit inside of an item that no one has seen for thousands of years? He took a while to answer, as if he was asking the spirit if he had permission to tell you. He almost excused himself and ran back to the card shop, but at the same time he studied your face. 

You flashed him your wrist, showing him the millenium flower that adorned it, trying to ease his mind a little bit. This was in hoping that it may give him the courage to actually tell you. “He doesn’t really remember who he is,” Yugi finally admitted to you, giving you a sheepish smile. “Just that he was once a Pharaoh.” 

Your eyes lit up, and a smile passed your face that could rival the sun’s vibrant rise. The boy watched as you seemed ever so excited, causing him to look even more confused. “I knew it,” you said softly to yourself, though realization deflated you a little bit, causing your smile to downturn into a frown upon your lips. “But he has no recollection of his past life?” 

“No, not really at least,” Yugi said with a light sigh. “I’ve been just calling him Yami.”

You gave him a reassuring smile despite yourself, and patted his shoulder lightly. “Thank you,” you said softly, trying to hide your minor disappointment. “Maybe with time, he will remember.” Letting out a nervous chuckle, you placed a hand awkwardly behind your head. “I hope.” With that information, you begun to rise to your feet, not sure how you felt about the whole situation in the first place. There was the chance that he would not remember, and it broke your heart. “Um, I really greatly appreciate you all being so kind to me, though, and you actually telling me. I’ll let you get inside, though. I should get going anyhow.”

“See you at school tomorrow,” he said kindly, the two of you parting ways.

***

3rd Person POV

“How would she know about me?” Yami mused to Yugi, his spirit talking in Yugi’s mind. Yami looked puzzled, and a bit weary, sitting upon Yugi’s bed as he lied down. His lilac eyes glanced over to Yugi, as if he would find the answer from looking at his companion’s face. “She looked happy, and sad.”

Yugi shrugged softly as he covered himself a bit more with his blanket, easing into the comfort of his bed. “I’m not sure, maybe she has a spirit that knows you,” he replied almost curiously, his large lilac orbs glancing at Yami. 

He watched as Yami shook his head, his finger on his chin, thinking. “I sense something with her,” he replied. “But that person doesn’t have a second spirit. It’s odd. She isn’t hosting someone in her body like you and I. There was a familiarity, but with my lack of memories, I would never be able to place it.” His lips pursed, the idea of this starting to get to him. “It was definitely a millennium item on her wrist.”

Yugi gave him a hopeful smile. “Maybe she’ll tell us when she’s ready?”

Yami nodded, with a light smile upon his face. “That she will,” he said before allowing Yugi to drift off to slumber.


	4. IV

A few weeks had passed, and you had begun to feel closer to the group. They even drew a fun hand sign of friendship with you, which you were quite happy about. Throughout your centuries of life, you had not met such nice people as this group, nor grown nearly as close. It had come time, though, that you were all to be rivals of sorts. The Duelist Kingdom tournament was underway, and you were all traveling together for it, though you knew that at one point, you would have to face the others in duels. There was, in fact, one large thing at stake for Yugi, so if you were to win, you knew you would have to help him get his grandfather back no matter what.

At the moment, all of you were in relatively small quarters with the other duelists, while there was bantering back and forth from two prior winners and the group. You were merely quietly settling down your things and picking yourself a corner near everyone’s stuff where you were going to sleep. The journey was supposed to be a long overnight excursion, and though you weren’t particularly happy with the sleeping arrangements being so open, you were exhausted.

The lights were turned out, and the others found their spots nearby you. You could hear Tristan and Joey fighting over the spot next to you, before Yugi quickly took the spot to prevent the two from continuing their bicker. 

“Thanks,” you mouthed with a soft laugh, which he merely nodded with a smile in reply. There was enough room to have at least a 6 inch distance away from everyone, to your relief, and you rolled to your side, facing the wall. Within moments, you were already fast asleep, the others shortly behind.

***

_ Darkness surrounded you, and once again you were running the length of the labyrinth. You were running to the open door once more despite yourself. Though you knew what happened last time, any chance to get to him was worth the risk, and you still watched as his figure grew further as you would have been nearing him. Having him right in your sights, you continued to run and run for what seemed like hours. Your feet ached from the running, and your tears fell in salty rain over your cheeks. This time was different, though. Despite the way that he would still continually get further from you, you were able to scream. Each time you screamed for him, it burned your throat more, but you just wanted him to look your way. You could not see his lilac eyes, though you could see his figure in the doorway, and he felt so close to you. You wanted him to actually see you, though even as he turned, he did not initially look towards you. _

_ Everywhere he looked, he just looked lost, unable to find the source of the screams. _

_ You kept running, your voice calling out, “Pharaoh, please, Pharaoh!”  _

_ Your legs began to get heavier, and suddenly you were no longer able to run. You were forced in place, crying out for him. So badly you wanted to see those deep lilac eyes meet yours. Looking down, you realized your legs were shackled. Stuck in place, in chains, you fell to your knees and wept for him. The room began to get closer, yet you could not move.  _

_ In that moment, his deep lilac eyes met yours, and you could see the frown lacing his soft lips. He looked distraught, and he began running towards you, only to be stuck a few feet away from you. The tears would not stop flowing from your eyes, clouding your vision, though you could tell how near he had become. With him so close to you, you opened your mouth once more to scream, falling short. Throat and lungs burning, you could not utter even a whisper, let alone a scream. _

_ “Y/N,” he whispered softly, “Please, don’t cry.” _

_ He reached out to you, but you could not touch him. His arm was so close, yet just out of arm’s reach. His frown was evident upon his face, and you attempted to wipe your tears, though more kept coming. A waterfall broke down your face, staining your cheeks. Desperately, the two of you attempted to reach one another, though you both managed to fall short continually. _

_ “I want to remember,” you heard him say softly through your tears, before everything began to fade to black. He disappeared first into the darkness, making you weep more, but as you continued, the world fell away into the blackness.  _

***

“Pharaoh,” you murmured softly, desperately in your sleep. 

Yugi was the last one in the cavern despite your sleeping self. When he heard your muffled plea, he glanced over at you with sad eyes. He could see the disheveled look on your face, clearly immersed in a nightmare that was shaking you to your very core. “She’s calling you,” he said quietly, addressing Yami as he did so. Through knowing you, neither had figured out exactly whom you were, though both of them had grown close to you through Yugi’s body - Yami generally from watching, and Yugi from actually personally hanging out with you and the others. 

What Yugi saw on Yami’s face in his mind was a hint of regret, and sadness, as the two of them looked at you. “I saw her nightmare,” Yami admitted, his voice a little shaky. “I still don’t remember who she is, but she’s dreaming about just being out of reach of me.” His translucent hand reached out to you, though he could not truly touch you in that form. Desperately, he wished to, though. He may have not known who you were to him in his past life, but there was something about you that drew him to you now. 

Yugi looked like he was going to reach for you, saying, “Everyone is getting ready to get onto the island, so we should probably wake her.”

“Let me, please,” Yami said, sounding urgent. Yugi agreed, and within seconds the room filled up with light existing from the millenium puzzle, shifting from Yugi to the Yami. “Y/N,” Yami said softly, attempting to get through to you. He crouched down so he was at your level, in reach to touch. His hand caressed your shoulder, gently waking you from your nightmare. 

It took a few moments, but consciousness finally got the better of you, and light poured into your eyes. As you woke, your eyes began to adjust, and you realized you were staring into his deep lilac eyes. You knew the moment you adjusted fully that those eyes were not Yugi’s, and they were the same from your dream.  _ Atem. _

In that moment, you would not have cared if there was a room full of people. You rose to a sitting position and pulled your arms around him tightly. For a moment, he was taken aback, frozen to your touch. After a moment, he wrapped his arms around you and caressed your back with his hand comfortingly. Heart racing in your chest, you did not want to let go, but within a minute or two you had realized what you were doing. To top it off, you noticed that your face was soaked in salty tears, which you had practically wiped on his clothing. Sheepishly, you broke the embrace and wiped the remainder of the tears from your face. “Sorry,” you said softly, trying to play it off with a light, nervous chuckle. “Nightmare.”

He gave you a serious look. “You know who I am,” he said to you simply, causing you to nod.

“More than you do at the current moment, yes,” you replied, giving him a soft smile. 

Before the two of you could continue your conversation, there was a last call announcement for Duelists still on the ship. He rose to his feet, lending a hand for you to get up as well. Grabbing your things quickly, the two of you headed out and exited the ship, just in time for the speech for the challengers. Yugi had already taken back over by this point, and the two of you had found the others in the crowd. 


	5. V

Just mere moments ago, the spirit of the Millenium Ring had revealed himself to yourself as well as the others. Using the power of the Millenium Ring, he had captured each soul that he possibly could, minus Yami’s. The feeling of your soul leaving the permanent body that you possessed proved to be draining, and for a moment it was difficult to stand. As you did, you realized you were placed in the form of the Dark Magician Girl, and the fifth card placed upon the board. Tristan had been sent to the graveyard a few turns prior, just recently returned to the field with the card Monster Reborn. With Dark Bakura’s face down monster, the future not looking overly illuminating. Standing on the board, you could see Yami internally panicking, and Dark Bakura relishing in the sense of fear that emanated off of everyone else. 

Taking a determined glance back at Yami, you gave him a half smile, uttering the words, “I believe in you, you know. Allow me to attack.” Your eyes were fixated upon the face down Man Eater Bug, knowing that Yami in fact had a small trick up his sleeve - a trap card that would be able to eliminate the threat on the other side of the board. It was a wonderful plan, but it would require the sacrifice.

You could see the look on Yami’s face; the last thing he wanted was to send you to the graveyard. He knew a small bit of the struggles your mind fought upon, and did not want to cause you more suffering. On the other hand, he did not want to send anyone to the graveyard, but if he did not, he knew he would definitely lose. All of your souls would be trapped in the shadow realm for good if that were the case. He stared at you sitting on the field, debating whether or not to do so.

Yugi, dressed as the Dark Magician, stared at you in awe and horror with his large lilac gaze. After a moment, his shaky voice said, “What if you’re sent to the graveyard, Y/N!” He gripped his scepter tightly during his protest, worry filling his small body. You could not help but smile at the boy, as you had grown close to him and the rest of the gang. It was nice to have people who cared. 

“Yeah! We can’t lose you!” Joey rang out in his Brooklyn accent.

“Pretty little Y/N,” Dark Bakura snickered, his smirk menacingly smerched across his face. He obviously managed to hold onto more of his memory than Yami had, because the sadistic look in his eyes was the same as last, remembering it so well. Unfortunately enough, you had plenty of run-ins with Dark Bakura in your past life, back when you all lived prior. In actuality, he was not always evil, though you did manage to play a guilty hand in his change. 

_ The memory came to you as if it were merely yesterday. You had helped him once, down at the Nile, tending to the boy’s wounds. He was simply an unfortunate soul, and your kindness knew no bounds. At one point, you were as alone as he was, and the two of you flourished in a friendship that should have stood the test of time.  _

_ The two of you were merely 11 at the time, both homeless and always fighting for your food, stealing and barely getting away each time. This time, you had to save Bakura from the Pharaoh’s guards, as they had gotten to his arm quite badly, as well as a large whack upon his head. He weakly leaned against you as you helped him run, and you ran him all the way to the edge of the Nile before helping him down to a seated position. With haste, you ripped some fabric off of your dress and fastened it into a bandage. Reaching carefully into the Nile, you cupped the chilled water in your hands, carefully cleaning out his wound. He writhed, his young face contorting in pain from the mere touch. _

_ “Please, Bakura, sit still,” you said in a soft, soothing voice as you continued to clean him. Though he was still definitely in pain, he tried his best not to flail around, focusing right on you. Concern was plastered over your face, but within your eyes held a determination to help him. He focused on your beautiful shimmering eyes, and your sweet touch as you helped him. You wrapped the bandage tightly, yet comfortably, around Bakura’s arm.  _

_ His pain was beginning to fade, though not fully, a smile crossed his face for a moment. Once he realized that he was in fact smiling, the smile turned to a quick scowl. “You didn’t need to do that,” he murmured stubbornly, shifting his arm away quickly and causing him to flinch in pain.  _

_ Comfortingly, you placed a hand upon his shoulder and smiled softly. “You’re not a bad man, Bakura,” you whispered to him with your smile comfortably across your face. “Misunderstood, and a little cursed, but that’s all.”  _

_ Shock laid frozen in his eyes as he studied you carefully. His heart fluttered quickly in his chest looking at your radiant smile, showing a new beauty that he had not seen before on you. Bakura was enchanted by you, and he could not help but wrap his good arm around you in a thankful, longing hug. You hugged him back, your smile still very much apparent upon your face. This memory specifically did not turn him to the evil, sadistic boy that he had become, but it set a pathway into a one sided love story, where he fell hard and deep for the girl that fell in love with the young Pharaoh. That girl, of course, was you, and you had known with time that grudge grew a fondness for pure evil. _

A small smirk crossed your face, staring directly up at Dark Bakura, touching softly at your Millenium Rose. Your fingers caressed it gently, and your gaze did not falter. It was, in fact, merely a good poker face that you held against him. In actuality, you did live centuries of loneliness. “I’ve lived many lives, Bandit King,” you said with a soft laugh. “I can comprehend your grudge, though it should be with me, not with him.” The smirk shifted to a sad smile, as you continued. “You may relish in the fact that he does not remember, though my memories stay. Neither of us receive a happy ever after, Bakura, but your childish actions are yours alone.”

“You could have had it with me, Y/N, and you were the fool that threw it away,” he remarked back, frowning intently. “Instead you chose to be unhappy.”

You rolled your eyes at him, crossing your arms. “I was never unhappy, Bakura,” you said with a huff. “Millenia of loneliness, maybe, but in the old days I was the happiest I’ve ever been. You were a friend, my best friend, but you couldn’t take it. I fell in love with him, and you could have found anyone, but you could not let go of me.”

“Your best friend?” he said with a scoff. “You threw me away, Y/N.”

“If you feel that way - hate me,” you growled out. “I cared about you, but seek your revenge on me- not him, not them. They did nothing wrong.”

“I want to watch everything you love perish, darling,” he practically cooed out.

Tristan chimed in, saying, “What the heck is going on?”

“I won’t let you hurt them,” you said defiantly, before you got yourself into an attacking stance. You bound across the board and attacked the face down Man-Eater bug, screaming up to Yami, “Use the card, now, please!” As you had attacked, the Man-Eater Bug had risen up from the card which it stood, towering over the game board. Currently attached to one if it’s shoulders, climbing up to its head with your scepter, you prepared to attack it and end up in the grave regardless. 

You could barely hear Yami as he activated his card, because you already began to disappear as soon as it was played. Fading into a bright light of nothingness, you woke in a graveyard for playing cards. Just as you had in your dreams, you began running, though this time it was not towards love, but away from death. Death chased you throughout the graveyard, continually in a flying position, its blade ready to reap your soul from existence. 

There was a moment that you wondered if you should stop, merely accepting your fate, as you had fallen against a headstone. Pain surged through your body, and you watched the reaping blade drawing closer to you. Heart fluttering in your chest, you wondered if this was in fact the end of your thousands of years of suffering. In this moment, you could just accept your fate and let the reaper take you for your final rest, but then you remember that the fate of the world existed in your hands, as your curse. You needed to survive, even if the love of your life did not remember who you were, while the one that could remember held the worst grudge over anyone you came in contact with. 

Quickly, you rose to your feet and began to run once more, further and further away from the reaper. Taking off at a faster pace than you ever could possibly think, you ran and ran. As the reaper was fast on your tail, you dissipated into a blinding light, bringing you back to the field.  _ He pulled through, like I knew he would, _ you thought to yourself with a smile. 

The group celebrated the fact that you were back on the field, though it did not last very long. Bakura took his move, and Yami had to use the Millennium Puzzle to switch the good souled Bakura from their time with the Dark Bakura that you had known. Within that time, the shadow battle had ended, leaving the others in a state that they believed they were merely waking up.

You glanced knowingly over to Yugi, though it was not Yugi you were looking at. It was Yami, and for a moment you smiled, before realization finally hit you. You grabbed your deck and sifted through it in a panic, making sure your one Egyptian treasure was still safe and sound. Holding the card delicately in your hands, you sighed in relief, giving it a light pat before tucking it safely away. Yugi was watching you the whole time, much to your dismay, and was staring at you quixotically by this point. Giving a slight shrug and a sheepish smile, you said, “My treasure is still here.” Your voice was just a whisper, and no one questioned you further.


	6. VI

Finally at the point of Joey and Yugi defeating Par and Dox, everyone was arriving at the entry to Pegasus’s Castle. Excitement was in the air, though there was also a tinge of worry and concern as well.  _ There’s so much riding on the finale, _ you thought to yourself, glancing between the group as you all walked together. As everyone came to a stop, though, there stood Seto Kaiba at the entrance of the castle, challenging Yugi to a rematch for all of his star chips. Anger seethed through your body, radiating off of you as you stood and listened to the arrogant boy that was right in the way of winning back Yugi’s grandfather’s soul. Gritting your teeth, you stepped in front of everyone. The last comment he had made to Joey about him not being a match for him ended up setting you over the edge in his stuck up tone, and you could not help but want to beat him into the ground.

“Seto Kaiba,” you growled under your breath, a scowl apparent upon your face. “I’m more than enough to beat you, so face me instead. I challenge you - and it’s a win-win for you. If you win, you receive all of my star chips and enter.” Your smirk grew. “And if you lose, you step aside and let us pass like a gentleman.” The wind billowed through your hair, and the group behind you watched in pure shock as you spoke.

Yugi attempted to protest, saying, “Y/N, what if you lose?”

“Then you two still go on and you better beat the heck out of Pegasus and get your grandfather’s soul back, Yugi,” you said defiantly, holding an arm out so he did not manage to step forward in front of you. “This is my choice, and you two may finish your squabble another time. There’s too much at stake.” All three of you; Yugi, Joey, and yourself, all had 10 star chips a piece. What you were fighting for, you would be able to safely lose your star chips to Kaiba if it was necessary, and the group would just be able to go on without you. Your winning against Pegasus would be for the others, and you knew Yugi would be able to save his grandfather with or without you in play.

He laughed, almost evilly, but accepted your challenge. “If that is so, I’m sure this will be quick,” Kaiba said, arrogance still apparent in his voice. In actuality, he saw there was something about you that actually seemed worth fighting, unlike Joey whom he had already beaten. It was fated, indeed, that Seto had to face Yugi again some day, but you knew both boys had a large amount to lose. You on the other hand did not, though you would not go down without a fight.

The group had followed as you all changed setting, standing on top of Pegasus’s castle walls. It was not the ideal battlegrounds, but regardless, you were determined to wipe that smirk off of Kaiba’s face. You had challenged Kaiba to do just that, and to save the others the chance to just face Pegasus, instead of dealing with this hindering distraction. Fastening on his contraption to your arm, the two of you began your battle, going back and forth with life points and strong cards, one by one.

“When will I get to see your cute little dragons?” you said with a teasing smile, the group practically jaw dropping in protest. Though psychologically speaking, you could see you were getting to him by the scrunched look on his face, but you were not sure if you truly wanted to play the mystical card that existed in your hand. The way the two of you were playing, and the spot that he had chosen, proved to be a bit dangerous. If the two of you had actually played on a regular battleground, you would not be nearly as concerned, but if there was anything to happen, it could get dicey. A fall from one of those walls could mean the end of someone, or at least a couple of broken limbs.

“Why would you egg him on like that, huh?” Joey said in disbelief.

Tea remarked, "Confidence is one thing, but that may be a little much."

Yami was standing in place of Yugi, and his smile shown through his shock. Very clearly he could see the determined look in your eyes, as well as feeling a powerful aura around you as you stood staring at the field. “She has a plan,” he simply stated, watching in awe as the two of you battled.

There was plenty of banter back and forth between Kaiba and yourself, mainly because of his arrogance and his need to fight. You could tell he knew what he truly needed to fight for, and that he was determined to do just about anything to get to his brother by this point. His desire to fight for his brother was incredible, and within the next turn he took out an incredible card, far even more triumphant than his Blue Eyes. He brought out the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon, and believed in that moment that he had already won the duel. His card was powerful, and any typical duelist would be at their knees in surrender facing such a beast. When he called it out, it towered over everything else upon the field, including the two of you and the remainder of the group.

As he assembled his Ultimate Blue Eyes, though, you had no choice but to bring out your mystical card. Swords of Revealing light being placed upon the Ultimate Dragon managed to buy you three turns to have enough cards in your hand to properly wish to summon your beast. "I call out Slifer The Sky Dragon," you said triumphantly, "and with six cards in my hand, that boosts my majestic dragon up to 6000 attack and defense."

"What the heck is that?" Joey rang out in a shocked voice, his Brooklyn accent pouring through each word. 

“My treasure,” you murmured out proudly. Slyfer roared above the battlefield, as large and as beautifully as you would imagine. Though it was not often you were able to bring him out, you always enjoyed doing so. Anxiety shifted around your stomach as you thought of the fact that the two of you were battling on high castle walls, though. As your y/e/c eyes met his icy blue ones, you faltered for a moment - you had seen Priest Seto. 

Though you could not help but think of your old friend, you bit your lip gently to make yourself focus upon the task at hand. You missed your friend - Atem’s cousin by blood, and you missed his little brother. This reincarnation reminded you so much of your friend, and it was hard for you to truly focus upon the duel. 

When Seto Kaiba knew he had just about lost, seeing the life points that your magnificent dragon possessed, he did the one thing that you had not expected him to do. He pulled himself on top of the wall of the castle, the wind blowing through his coattails. His arms were wide as he urged you to attack him, and you visibly shuddered. Your mouth had fallen into a frown, and you could not order your skydragon to attack the man in front of you.

“Get down, Seto,” you urged, biting your lip. “You can have my starchips, just get back to safety.” The group gaped at you, though they knew that just about any of them would have done the same. If you had not seen Priest Seto in his eyes, maybe you would have ignored the impending danger. 

Seto Kaiba jumped down and smirked, though you could tell it was just an act, as his eyes told a completely different story for you. He was willing to risk everything - even his entire life - for his brother, just as you would have for any of those you cared about. He was a kind man, much like Priest Seto, with a horrible outer shell. You called your cards back, removing the disk from your arm and taking your deck out before handing the contraption over to the man. 

Handing the star chips over to Kaiba, you leaned in and whispered to him, “You better free your brother with these, Seto, and I’ll be looking forward to a rematch when this is all over.” His eyes went wide for a moment, but he nodded to you before snatching the star chips out of your hands and disappearing into Pegasus’s castle. Knowing how he was, you were not expecting any sort of kindness to come out of his mouth, and you allowed him to enter without any further commentary.


	7. VII

When the coast was clear, you dropped down to your knees, your breaths heavy and heart fluttering in your chest. The fact that you had lost had not been an issue, but the reminder of the ones that you truly cared for, the ones that were long gone, hit you hard. It did not help that you were about to possibly end Kaiba's life on top of it all, or how hard it was for you to stop yourself from letting Slyfer attack. As you tried to catch your composure, the group had practically surrounded you, trying to see if you were actually okay. Though you appreciate how much they cared, you had to deal with it all on your own. That is how it has always been, after all, and you needed those moments alone.

You turned to Yugi first, your words weary as you spoke. “It was logical that he would pull any stunt to win, and I’m glad I took the fall for it.” 

He placed a hand upon your shoulder sympathetically, giving you a soft smile. "You fought well, Y/N, and did the right thing in the end," he said softly, and you knew it was not just Yugi talking in that moment. Those words had to have come from Yami. Staring up into his eyes, you nodded in agreement.

"I'll be cheering you on, and I know you'll save your grandfather, Yugi," you said reassuringly. "I believe in the both of you." The last part was whispered, low enough so he could just hear it.

He smiled back, saying, "Thank you."

After the hand had been removed from your shoulder, your head swiveled over to look at Joey. “And you better fight with everything you have, Joey. Your sister needs you, and I know you'll do great."

"Thanks," Joey said with a goofy grin.

You let out a soft sigh, and put on your most reassuring smile, though you did not stand. "Please, go on in," you said softly. "I'll be there soon, just need to catch my thoughts."

“You sure, Y/N?” Tea said with concern in her eyes. “You don’t look all that great.”

You chuckled softly, “I keep seeing old friends, that’s all,” you said between breaths. “I’ll be fine. Go on in.”

"You better be right behind, or we're coming back out for you," Tristan warned with a half-worried smile.

You nodded in response and shooed them in.

The group honored your request with little defiance, though Yugi did look back at you, presumably having Yami glancing back as well. Once they went inside, you leaned yourself against the closed door and tried hard to settle your breaths. Your eyes fixated upon the empty star chip glove that you possessed, and deep down you knew, though you wanted to cheer on your friends - especially Yami - you knew you would not be allowed in with this empty glove. Squeezing your eyes tight, all you could see were the ones that you failed, and a pang hit hard at your heart. Yugi, Yami, Tea, Yugi’s Grandfather, Joey, Tristan, even Seto, Bakura, and Mokuba were prominently standing in your mind, staring at your failure. It drilled you to the core, though you knew if you had won, it would have been a great deal more dire for the others.

As you continued to stare through closed eyes, the images turned to the ones you previously knew. Most of whom you knew now were reincarnations of the ones you had loved prior. Pharaoh Atem was the most prominent out of all, with those loving lilac eyes that you loved so very much, dressed in his normal garbs. Next to him was Priest Seto and his little brother Mokuba. On the other side was Dark Bakura in his thief garbs, though he had a smile on his face, the way that he used to smile at you so long ago, back when you all were friends.  _ Why couldn’t things just be normal?  _ You thought to yourself.  _ I miss my friends, the old times, and I miss Atem. Even though he’s right in front of me, none of its the same. I want to give Bakura a slap across the face, and then a hug. I want to play around with Mokuba, letting Priest Seto yell at us again, just to see him actually smiling. I never asked to live forever. _ You did not notice the woman walking up to you as you were deep in thought, tears were streaming down your face through closed eyes. 

“What the heck are you doing out here?” Mai asked with her typical sassy attitude. “Last time I saw you, you had 10 star chips like Yugi and Joey.”

Opening your eyes, you wiped your tears away quickly and gave her a small half smile. “I personally did not want Kaiba falling to his death, so I lost all my chips to him,” you said with a small chuckle, your breathing finally calm enough to speak normally. You pressed down on the ground, setting yourself to your feet. “Since you’re here, I’m assuming you’re ready for the finals?”

“Yup, though I’m not sure how you’re going to be on just a cheer squad,” she teased.

You bit your lip lightly, “He has more on the line than I do, so I’ll live.”

“Here, I owe Yugi anyways,” she said, holding out 10 extra star chips.

You stared at her in total awe, admittedly shocked by her kind gesture. “I can’t just take them from you, but if you’re up for a battle,” you said with a hopeful smile, which she gladly accepted. She had seen you face a few opponents during the time that she had run into the group, and did not think to question whether or not you would actually win them. Though you were not willing to accept charity, you would accept chips won fair and square. Wagering your Rageki card in return, the two of you began your battle. With her powered up harpies, it did end up being a close match, but you managed to overpower her near the end with a few of your higher powered dragon cards.

“I’m impressed, but not shocked,” she said with a nice smile. “Now, let’s not keep them waiting.”

You were handed the star chips and gave her a kind smile in return, placing them all in your glove before following her in. The scent of poperie and snooty attitude filled your senses as you entered, and you joined the group just as they began talking to one of Pegasus’s guards. Holding up your hand, you signified that you were one of the finalists as well to the guard, Mai doing the same, and the man nodded in return.

“Pegasus has set up some entertainment for you all,” the guard began, speaking of Pegasus facing Seto Kaiba in a duel in front of the group. “It will show you all what you’re in for.” There were protests, primarily from Joey, but the guard ignored it and the battle began.


	8. VIII

The tournament was an uphill battle for all challengers, though in the end, Yugi and Yami emerged the victors. Joey received the prize money for his sister's operation, and you were proud to have been taken out by Yami and Yugi in the second to last battle among challengers. The odd number made it so Yugi faced you, and then Joey, though your goal in the first place was merely to guide someone with more at stake to victory. 

Mokuba and Seto Kaiba were thankful to be reunited, to the point that they had given the group a ride back home. Your journey with the group landed you back home for a while, in solitude and thinking after bringing Yugi's grandfather home from the hospital. Though the others urged you to stay for a while, during a battle with an 8 year old girl, you had politely declined. Duelist Kingdom had been too much of a trip down memory lane, and then to top it all off, though there were plenty of positives to the whole experience, you were reflective upon the negatives that came of it out of your control. 

Now, adorned in a light night gown and wildly messy bedhead, you were laying on your own bed, staring up at the ceiling. Your hands mindlessly played with scrunched up fabric sheets as you stared tirelessly, battling your own mind in wits.  _ I don't know how long I can keep this up, _ you thought to yourself, closing your eyes for a while before allowing them to reopen once more.  _ How do I offer protection, when I know someone already made off with the millennium eye? How could I let that get passed me? I'm supposed to be a guardian, and I managed to fail at my first test.  _

“You are supposed to protect the chosen one,” a curious voice mused from the shadows of your room. “I will find the perpetrator who took the millennium eye.” 

A bit startled, you rose up from your bed quickly, your eyes trailing to the dark corner for which the voice was heard. In traditional Egyptian garbs emerged a man who was familiar, yet not at the same time. His millennium item dangled at his neck in the form of a cross key, and his face held very little expression to it. The tan skin and olden garb clued you in, of course, yet still you asked, “Who are you?” 

“I am a guardian, as yourself,” he spoke softly, yet with a firm voice. “I am Shadi.”

You let out a soft sigh, and patted the bed next to you, urging the man to sit. After a moment of what looked like contemplation, he moved out of the shadows and sat beside you. “Evil walks the earth once more,” you said softly, musing as you lightly traced your millennium rose. “And the Pharaoh without his memories is a tricky situation.” 

He nodded, saying, “You will unlock his memories with time. Not you alone, of course, but you will play a key role in this battle.”

“Shadi,” you said, barely above a whisper, your eyes still fixated upon your millennium rose. “I've lived for over 5,000 years. My loved ones are locked away in items or already passed. Some have already reincarnated in this day and age. My husband doesn't even remember who I am, or who he is. When does this battle end?”

He placed a thoughtful hand upon your shoulder, saying, “You do not walk an easy path, but as long as you stay on a righteous one, you will receive your desired outcome.”

“Sometimes,” you started, your glance now averted from the millennium rose to the guardian's eyes, “I just wish to lay back down. This curse has been troublesome. I've lived through centuries of moons, missing the Egyptian sun of old, my chambers, the Pharaoh, and all those who stood beside us.”

He gave you a soft, knowing smile, and replied, “You have finally met the last century you must. As long as the world is not swallowed by the daunting evil, you will be allowed to return.”

You nodded and gave him a soft half smile. With his last words, he stood, beginning to take his leave. Reaching a hand out, you said, “Wait, Shadi.”

“Yes?” he asked, eying you curiously. 

“What if I ever need to talk to you again?” you asked with furrowed brows. “I highly doubt you carry a cellphone.”

He chuckled softly, giving you a knowing smile. “In the moments you need me, I will be there.” With that, you nodded to him, and he took his leave through a passage he had created with his millennium key. After he was finally gone, you took your phone from off the nightstand hastily, flipping through your contacts. Once you had your sights on Yugi's number, you dialed. 

_ Ring, ring, ring. _

“Hey, Y/N!” You heard Yugi say jovially from the other line. “What's up?”

A small smile threatened to curve at your lips, and you leaned back on your pillow comfortably. You crossed your right leg over your left as you said, “I know since we left the castle I've been kind of a bore the last month. Just needed a little recovery time. If you wouldn't mind, I would love to see you guys tomorrow.”

“Sure!” He said happily. “We've been worried about you. Even Yami has, honestly. I think everyone else is tending to family matters tomorrow, but you're more than welcome to come over to the game shop.”

“I'd love that, and let him know I've been worried about him as well, please,” you said, your smile tugging a little harder at your lips. “I'll be over at 8 if that's alright.”

“Of course, and I will. See you then!”

“See you.” With that, you closed up your phone and placed it gently upon the nightstand. You rolled so you were able to look directly at the stand where you had a small memento of your past laying safe upon it. Your whispers were soft and to yourself as you said, “I do hope Shadi is right.”

With that, you closed your eyes, yawning and curling up into the cozy comfort of your blankets, letting yourself drift off into slumber. As much as you wished you would have a break from the nightmares, and a break from it all, you knew now that there was a light at the end of the tunnel. Though it was not ideal, you waited this long, and would wait centuries more if you could be reunited with your love. 


	9. IX

You peeped your head cautiously into the game shop before meeting eyes with Yugi's grandfather. A smile crossed your face, seeing him alive and well, soul and all. He ushered you in with a free hand, saying in a kind voice, “Yugi said he was expecting you. If you'd like, you can go right back into the house.” The older man pointed to the door that was almost hidden from the naked eye to his left. The game shop had been connected to his home, much to your initial surprise,, though it did make you feel like you'll actually be able to get some alone time. Though the old man had been to the shadow realm, talking about certain things was still a struggle in front of him, and you did not particularly wish for him to know how old you actually were. 

_ Oh, hi, Mr. Moto, I’m Y/N, 5,016 years old, and I happen to be married to the spirit in your grandson’s millennium puzzle, _ you thought, almost chuckling aloud.  _ Though, you know, he doesn’t remember me. Yeah, that would go over nice and smooth. _

“Thank you, Mr. Moto,” you said sweetly, hurrying off to that door that he had pointed to. With caution, you opened it and stepped inside, gently closing the door behind you. The house was not large, but it definitely had a quaint sensibility to it that you enjoyed. It was not long to enter the house and find the living room, though you did take your time walking through, a habit of being as quiet as possible.

As you entered the livingroom, your eyes rested upon spiky hair turned away from you, and you smiled brightly. “Your grandfather said I could come right in.” From the seated position, you were not one hundred percent sure which you would be talking to, but with how little Atem came out, you had assumed that it would have been Yugi sitting and waiting for you.

Much to your surprise, when he turned, you were faced with not Yugi, but the boy that you desired so badly.  _ Atem,  _ you thought to yourself, eye to eye with the more mature looking man in his host body. “Y/N, I hope you don't mind he let me take over while you're here,” he said sweetly. “I wanted to talk to you personally.”

Your heart skipped a beat, and for a moment you were just staring at the boy, a somewhat star-struck look in your eyes. After a few moments, you blushed, gaining your composure and nodded. “Hello, my Pharaoh,” you stated softly. “That is no trouble at all. I know you probably still don't remember me, but I'm willing to answer any questions you have.” 

“Please, sit,” he said with a smile, motioning for you to sit on the couch with him, which you hastily accepted, sitting down graciously beside him, eyes holding his gaze along with curiosity to what he could possibly have in mind to ask. “You're from my past, correct?”

“I played, what I hope, was a large role in such,” you said with a soft smile and a nod of the head. Unfortunately enough, you could only give him answers to the questions he asked, so you hoped that he would guide you in the correct direction to where you may work on his memories. He placed a hand upon yours softly, tracing your fingers with his own, as if he was trying to receive answers out of it. This was causing more blush to rise in your cheeks, though you attempted to fight it.

“You are not a spirit of your millennium item, yet you walk around as someone dating memories back to my time,” he said thoughtfully. “How old are you, and how does that play into the millennium items?”

You smiled half-heartedly at him, recalling what Shadi had said to you. “Instead of being locked inside a millennium item, I was cursed to walk the earth, living life after life as a guardian to await the return of the millennium items, and the evil that came with it.”  _ I do hope this is my last millennia.  _ “I’m 5,016 years old, never aging, and never changing despite the fact that my skin has lightened in the climate.”

Biting his lip lightly, he said, “There's something about your presence that evokes feelings inside of me, though I don't remember precisely who you are, nor what role you played in my life. I can also tell that it troubles you that I don't remember my past. May I ask you to tell me why I feel so fondly towards you?”

You chuckled softly, a light blush apparent upon your face, as you said, “I could never read your mind, my Pharaoh, but I would assume from each time we spoke of love, you were genuine.” Fond memories of him telling you how much he loved you seemed to flood your mind, though you attempted to stay on your focused task, focusing specifically on his soft touch of his hand on your own, memorizing each way they moved as if it were your favorite song. When you spoke, his movement stopped for a moment, much to your dismay, but his hand stayed upon your own.

“Love?” He asked, somewhat shocked, yet contemplative. He cocked his head, as if reading your every action with precision, staring deep into your y/e/c eyes. “We were in love?”

You nodded once more. “Yes, married, even,” you said thoughtfully. 

“You have lived on this planet for centuries as the age of 16, Y/N,” he mused thoughtfully. “Have you, you know…” His voice trailed off, and he removed his hand from your own, possibly in worry of the answer. It took a moment to realize what he was getting at, since it did not seem like he would be able to fully ask the question that seemed to harm him. 

You cautiously reached your hand up and brushed your thumb over his cheekbone, causing him to stare directly into your eyes with his lilac orbs. “Not upon my own accord, no. I have never, and would never,” you started in a hushed tone, “touch, kiss, or love anyone else, my Pharaoh.” 

His eyes grew wide, as if he had seen a ghost, and you could tell in the dilation of his eyes for that moment that it may have either been your words or your touch, but something brought up a memory of his. This memory was untouched for centuries, and unfolded in his mind as he stared into your eyes. 

_ “I would never touch, kiss, or love anyone else, my Pharaoh,” you whispered to your fiance at the time, giving him a stroke of the cheek with the tip of your thumb. “I am yours, and yours alone, and I hope you'll promise me the same.”  _

_ It was as if even his lilac eyes were smiling at you in this moment, as he drew you close with both arms wrapped around you. Stroking your hair with one hand, he held you close to his chest, to the point that you could listen to his heart beating. “My heart beats for only you, Y/N,” he whispered in return, placing a kiss upon your head.  _

_ You nuzzled into his chest and sighed happily, content in this moment in the warmth of his arms. There were very little cold spots, where his golden bands tucked around his wrists, but you did not mind them one bit. Cuddling comfortably with him, you whispered, “I love you.” _

_ One hand shifted to lift your chin from beside his chest, making it so you were facing directly into his eyes once more. As you stared into his loving eyes, your lips collided with his, sparks flying inside of both of you. His tanned face held just the smallest bit of blush, as did your own. The kiss lasted for minutes, though the minutes were far too short for either of you. As the two of you parted for air, he whispered, “I love you as well, Y/N.” _

When he came back to reality, you felt yourself being pulled up against his chest, the same way that the memory had played out. You listened to his heartbeat, blush very much apparent upon your face. Taking a deep breath, you sighed softly and cuddled into his chest, a large smile forming upon your lips. “You remembered, didn't you?” You whispered as you were held comfortably. 

“It was just one small memory, but with time, I hope I remember more,” he whispered softly to you. “Do you still…”

You smiled, and brought yourself to where you were facing him with your eyes once more, letting your lips collide with his. Though you weren't sure which one of the two of you initiated it, you kissed him passionately and snaked your arms around his neck. He held you comfortably, yet tightly in embrace with strong arms around your waist. As they had laid dormant for centuries, you could feel the sparks coursing through your body, as he could feel them as well. 

As the two of you parted, you whispered softly to him, “I love you, and I don't expect you to remember me in full right away. In every way I can, I will help you remember, and be by your side through it all.”

He smiled brightly at you, still holding onto you tightly. “I couldn't ask for anything better,” he said with a smile. “Thank you, Y/N.”


	10. X

Thunder rolled above the Card Shop as the group was safely inside from the pouring rain. Each time the thunder crashed, it felt as if the whole building would shake. You had been through a great deal of thunderstorms in over 5,000 years, but they never seemed to get old for you, and they would always leave room for surprises. For a while, you simply watched as the group looked around at cards while you listened to the rolling thunder, standing aside to allow full access to the card shop. Since you had spent so much time with the group as is, you felt no need to act as if you were looking for new cards, simply enjoying the excitement that Joey and Tristan had from finding a few mid-level cards. 

After a while of simply enjoying the excitement each time the boys would look at cards, you could hear light footsteps walk in your direction. Next to you stood, quite shorter than you, Yugi. His large lilac orbs glanced up at you in wonder. "You're not looking for cards?" Yugi said with an eyebrow raised, simple curiosity put into place. Of course, the initial plan of the group had been to meet at the card shop after school to spice up their decks, but neither you nor Yugi glanced at a single card. Yugi had made more sense, since the card shop was owned by his grandfather anyhow. 

You shook your head, giving him a smile. "Not today,” you said in a gentle tone, your eyes still fixated upon the excitement of the others, before they broke off for a moment to meet his large lilac ones. “It’s just nice sometimes to hang out with company, instead of sitting at home in my apartment doing homework, after all.”

Yugi nodded with a chuckle. “Well, you know you’re always welcome, searching for cards or not,” he said in his higher, gentle voice. Sometimes, though you would not admit it aloud, you wished that Yami - well, your Pharaoh- would just come out while the group was hanging out. Granted, you had no problem with the young reincarnation that was hosting his body for your husband, you still had wished to spend more time with him. It recently rung in your head to remember that if your mission was a successful, you could go back. Going back to the old times - living the life that you wanted to, and spending the rest of your mortal life with your husband would be wonderful. After all this waiting, you had become impatient, and had to always remind yourself that you had waited nearly 5,000 years for him, and at least you somewhat had him by your side.

Finally, Joey had gotten his card set together that he wanted, and brought them to Mr. Moto at the register, an overly excited smile stretched across his lips. You leaned against the wall, watching as Joey practically slammed the cards down triumphantly. "I'll take it," Joey said confidently in his brooklyn accent. "Put it on my tab, Gramps." 

"Your tab is overdue, Joey," Mr. Moto replied with a sigh, an obviously bored look on the old man's face. Yugi was standing next to you still, and you could see out of the corner of your eyes him trying so hard not to laugh at his friend’s antics. 

"Then put it on Tristan's," Joey replied with a snickering tone.

"Hey!" Tristan protested, placing his hand up in defense at his friend. This was not the first time that Joey had placed something on Tristan’s tab, and he would always end up paying for it instead of Joey. Unfortunately with how excited Joey was about the cards, you could not just sit by and watch poor Tristan get stuck with the bill again. 

You rolled your eyes at Joey, before reaching into your pocket and pulling out a little more than enough to cover the cards that Joey wanted from your wallet, walking over to the register and smiling at Yugi’s grandfather. "Keep the change, Mr. Moto,” you said kindly, before glancing over at an overly excited Joey. Money was never truly an issue to you, since you had lived so many lives, and it just seemed to add up in the modern era, with more than a few of these ‘high school years’ being spent entertaining yourself at various jobs in various places.

“Thanks, Y/N/N,” Joey said, taking the cards from the counter and placing them in his pocket happily.

Before the group could shift to another room, or depart, the door of the shop was slammed open. Thunder struck, booming much louder with the door open, and your eyes immediately glanced over to the new presence. In the doorway, soaked and panting, you saw Seto's brother Mokuba. Each time you saw that little boy, you were always reminded of Priest Seto and his little brother, as they were the reincarnated of them after all. You were very close to the two of them, and often looked after Mokuba himself, saving him more than a few times. 

"Please...please help me," Mokuba said, in an exhausted tone, struggling to keep himself up against the wall. 

You ran over to the boy, giving him something better to lean on than the door itself. Yugi had exclaimed Mokuba's name in shock, and you had picked him up, gesturing with your head for the group to go into Yugi's actual house, so you could set the cold, exhausted child on the couch. "Y-you don't have to carry me," the boy said tiredly, though you could tell he would have ended up passing out if he used much more of his strength at the moment. 

"Shh," you said sternly, "You need to relax and catch your breath." You felt like crying, holding the boy in such a manner. He was getting your clothes soaked, but that you did not mind whatsoever. Memories of your Mokuba, the little boy that you cared for in the past, flooded your mind. He was always getting into trouble, and you often were the one to take care of him. His brother was always incredibly grateful, though he was occasionally cold as Seto was in this reincarnation. 

As the group went back to the main house, you set Mokuba on the couch, and he pushed himself up against the back of it to face the group. The rest filed in, and you had moved to the kitchen, allowing Mr. Moto to sit while you fetched a cup of warm tea for the boy. Yugi had moved to a closet first, grabbing a blanket to wrap around Mokuba. Within a few minutes, the tea was already done, and you brought it out to him. 

"Thank you," he said in his young voice, clearly weighted by the way he was feeling. There was some hoarseness to it, which made you frown, but you nodded in acknowledgement. Yugi sat on one side of Mokuba, Tèa sitting on the other. Mr. Moto sat further away, while Joey, Tristan, and yourself all stood. 

Mokuba began explaining what happened, and you wore a painted grimace, visibly worried about the whole situation. As life became more and more modern, it seemed there were an increased number of villains, and these happened to cross those that you cared for. 

"So you're saying the only way Kaiba can escape is by winning the game?" Yugi exclaimed after the explanation was brought before you all. 

"But if those creeps reprogram the entire adventure just to keep Kaiba trapped there, how is that possible?" Tèa asked. 

"I don't know, but I thought," Mokuba started, sheepishly, "I thought you could help." 

"Calm down, Mokuba," Mr. Moto said reassuringly. "We will, we will."

"Are there other virtual reality pods?" You asked curiously. If his mind was trapped in the game, and he had to win, it sounded more like he would need backup. "Maybe prototypes?" 

"Yeah, my brother has been working on creating a virtual world since I was really young," Mokuba replied. 

Before you knew it, the group was running over to Seto Kaiba's lab. The group had to climb over the gates, following Mokuba, and you had a horrible feeling in the pit of your stomach as you climbed over. You attempted to push the feeling down, but as the six of you were in the same room as the prototypes, you saw there were only four prototype pods. 

"There's only 4 pods, so two people are going to have to stay behind," Tèa said with a frown upon her face. After some bickering between Joey and Tristan, as well as your adamance towards helping Mokuba, it was finally decided. Yugi, Joey, Mokuba, and yourself were going into the virtual world. 

"Tristan, Tèa, keep your eyes out," you warned with a nervous smile. You were nervous, especially because you would not be able to defend yourself if someone were to take your Millenium Rose. Without the rose, your body would be fully limp, but you could not exactly tell the mortals about how dire the situation would be. 


	11. XI

Your group had run into Mai, and a game female version of Mokuba, whom you had learned was the Princess of Sin Lau. When the group was in the labyrinth together, you all eventually had found the Princess’s grandmother and guards, being named by this character as the truest heroes she had ever seen. It brought a smile to your face, how kind the little princess was, and you all could tell that Seto Kaiba had made her for his brother, which showed his soft side once again. 

At dinner at the castle, the princess spoke of a prophecy, explaining that she believed that you all were the heroes that they had been awaiting to stop the Mythical Dragon. Knowing that you had all accepted the quest, especially to save Seto, you were then offered the group to be adorned in hero garbs. After a while of fussing around with the new attire, you stepped out to join the group. Mai had a beautiful purple dress with a blue cape, while you wore a deep green, almost elfish dress with a black cape. Yugi had a blue outfit with cape, while Joey would not step out of the curtain. When you first came out to join them all, the two boys had glanced directly at you, while Yugi had eventually looked away, Joey was still staring. 

Your face heated with blush, and you murmured, "Keep your eyes in your skull, Joey," while crossing your arms over your chest plate. "And come out from behind that curtain." 

"I'm never coming out," he said defiantly. 

Mai rolled her eyes at Joey, and urged him to come out. The group had gotten themselves fully ready, and all of you just looked a tad bit silly compared to what you were typically used to. As you went through the game’s difficult obstacles that the Big 5 had created, losing Mokuba in the process instead of the Princess, the four of you were now upon the flying machine. After Yugi had cast swords of revealing light, the fairy had become digitized and Yami had taken the place of Yugi, causing you to blush a bit. Though you knew that Yami likely could see your ridiculous outfit before, now that he was in the forefront you were fully reminded of it.

It was not the time to think silly things, though you couldn't fully help yourself. He gave you a knowing look, and a reassuring smile before the group had gotten through the barrier with the ancient flying machine. Before you knew it, you were all running off of the flying machine, running through the forest before the castle. Yami had used kuriboh, multiply, and turtle catapult to destroy the obstacles ahead, the group watching as each kuriboh exploded upon impact. The flying beasts were no match for so many kuriboh, and they had fallen into the flames that surrounded all of you. The group continued running, eventually meeting up with Seto and Mokuba. 

The Big 5 had created a new level, where they reprogrammed the game to bring out the Mythical Dragon. First, Joey had allowed his dragon to defend Mokuba, and then Mai had lost her life points. Both were digitized, and it was just the four of you left. Seto would not work with Yami Yugi, and that had left him open for the Mythical Dragon to attack. You had seen what the dragon was doing, and saw that it was directed at Seto and Mokuba. With quick reflexes, you pushed the two of them out of the way, allowing the direct blast from the Mythical Dragon to hit you. 

Yami Yugi, in hero's garb, ran to your side as you begun digitizing. "Work together, please," you said, your gaze turning to Seto, "And good luck." Though you would have said more, you were fully digitized within a few seconds, and could barely speak what you did. Digitization was an odd experience, full of absolute darkness as you sat, hoping that they would beat the game. 

It felt like forever, floating around in the emptiness of the digitized world. You dared not try to speak. The feeling was so surreal, but after what seemed an eternity, a sudden light appeared around you. 

Groaning, you rose to your digital feet, feeling once again as real as the game allowed in virtual reality. You felt arms around you as you stood, helping you to your feet. As soon as you were standing, the Pharaoh's slender arms wrapped tightly around you. "Y/N," you heard him murmur in his deep voice. "I'm so glad you're back." You wrapped your arms around his neck, pulling him close in reunion, enjoying the warmth of his arms, though it was short lived.

As he began to separate from you, you placed a gentle peck upon his lips, blush rising in your face. "I knew you guys could do it," you said sweetly, and your lips curled into more of a smile as you saw the blush forming upon his own cheeks. He looked away, his heart racing, and turned over to check on Joey and Mai, welcoming them back as well. 

Your y/e/c orbs switched over to Seto, and you gave him a gentle smile, saying, "I'm glad you're all alright," before leaning down and ruffling Mokuba's hair, causing the little boy to smile and blush in embarrassment. 

"Hey!" Mokuba exclaimed, blush deep against his little cheeks. He glanced up at you with a big smile, saying, "Thank you."

Seto could not help but let his lips upturn slightly at the sight before him, his icy blue eyes softening over you and Mokuba's interaction. Though he would never truly admit it, he had a soft spot for you that he was not sure about. It was not something that he would mention aloud, and you had not caught the action, but the rest of the group had seemed to, causing Joey's mouth to gape. 

"How about a thank you, Kaiba?" Joey said with his thick Brooklyn accent as he had finally come back to reality. 

Seto had scoffed as the two brothers were standing at the portal, and Seto had not even turned around to reply to Joey. "I did not ask for your help," he said, "nor did I need your help." He had paused, turning to Yami and yourself, before he continued. "On the contrary, Yugi and Y/N, I will extend some gratitude." 

"Maybe one day, Kaiba, you will see us less as simply rivals, and more as friends," Yami had said, eliciting no response from Kaiba as he entered the portal with his brother. You all watched as they disappeared, returning from the digital world. 

"Uh, are we gonna talk about what the heck just happened?" Joey said with his thick brooklyn accent, catching everyone's attention. 

"With Kaiba or how Y/N seems to be peacefully loved by all of you freaks," Mai murmured out in her sassy tone, and though she said it softly, you were able to hear her, causing you to chuckle. Out of all of them, Mai was the one that knew the absolute least about you, and though your Pharaoh did not have his memory, he almost never questioned your actions. You were over 5,000 years old, just as he, and yet you had lived in your body the entire time. There was something in his forgotten memories that made him know to trust you. He had married you in his past life, after all, and shown him and his friends nothing but kindness in the current time. 

"Let's go home, guys," you said with a smile, and Yami had mentioned the goodbyes to the Mystical Elf before it was time to go back to the real world. It was relieving to be returning from this chaotic game world, the bad feeling you had from before fully slipped away. 


	12. XII

Over a month had gone by since the group had saved the Kaiba brothers from the Big 5, with the help of Seto Kaiba himself, and since then the gang had been through a lot, with you by their side. The group had finally learned about the Pharaoh, though there was not a great deal about it for them to learn. You would not be able to tell them everything before he regained his memories himself, after all. There were little things that had slipped out, including the fact that the two of you were married, as well as the fact that you were 5,016 years old. That had caught the boys by a shocking surprise, despite Yugi who was already fully aware. You could still remember their reactions, and could not help but chuckle at their realization. 

_ “How long were you gonna wait to tell us that?” Joey said in his deep Brooklyn accent, his jaw practically on the ground. “You’re over 5,000 years old, and married?” _

_ You simply chuckled, nodding. “I knew the right time was coming up.” _ __   
  


_ “For 5,016, she’s still pretty freakin’ hot,” Tristan said with a big smile, causing you to practically smack him, though you kept your hands to yourself.  _

_ “And she’s married, dude,” Joey replied smugly.  _

_ “He doesn’t even freakin’ remember who she is,” Tristan countered. _

_ You rolled your eyes, thankful when Tea had stepped in. “He also can likely hear everything you’re saying, Tristan,” she spat out. “Cool it.” _

_ “Aw, man,” Tristan said, sinking back into his own little world.  _

_ “He really wants to remember his past,” Yugi cut in with a frown. “It’s going to take some time.” _

_ “I can always help him try again,” you offered with a soft smile. _

When you had offered to help him get his memories back, though you could tell him plenty of things about his past if he knew to ask the right questions, it had brought an idea to light that he had not entirely thought of. Though the two of you spent a small bit of quality time together at the Moto home, it was likely more possible for him to recall his memories if he was out and about with you, talking with you and maybe even being the way the two of you used to be. 

Since it had been so long, you could not help but be a little nervous. Going out on a date-type scenario was strange to you, after all. You did your h/c hair in a f/s and wore a f/c sundress, sitting outside of a local Domino City cafe awaiting him. 

"Y/N," you could hear Yugi call over to you, causing your attention to turn over to him before he switched into Yami. 

You had a sweet smile upon your face, and you could see the change in height, along with the shape of his deep lilac eyes, before he immediately said, "Wai- Yugi!" After he had become aware of his surroundings, his lilac eyes met your own. 

Striding up to him, you took his hand in your own, holding it gently. "Yugi said he wanted me to help you get your memories back," you explained, squeezing his hand reassuringly. "Its nice to be able to see you."

"Y/N, I greatly appreciate you helping with that," he replied, a tinge of blush apparent on his face as you held his hand. "I hope I'm not inconveniencing you." 

You chuckled softly. "You kept me waiting 5,000 years, my Pharaoh," you teased him. "I'm pretty sure taking up any more of my time is not going to be an issue." 

The two of you went into the cafe, both ordering your favorite items before sitting down and eating together at one of the most secluded tables in the restaurant. For the first few moments, the two of you simply ate in silence, you feeling a little more awkward than you should have. Awkward was not even the right word for it, since you were feeling self conscious. 

"As I said before, you could ask me anything," you finally hummed out after taking a sip of your drink and swallowing it thoroughly. "About your past, I mean. I was told I won't find all of your memories, but am a key part in it."

"Who told you?" He asked curiously, his lilac orbs now staring at you. 

You smiled softly. "Shadi," you said softly. "After Duelist Kingdom, he had shown up in my apartment using his millennium key. I was feeling uncertain, you know, about my purpose. Exhausted, even. I'm not sure why he knew to show up, but he did." 

He grimaced, reaching across the table to grab your hand. "I can't even imagine what you've been going through," he said gently, his deep voice almost sending shivers down your spine. 

You gave him a reassuring smile, holding his hand gently. "My time is almost over," you replied. "As long as I stay the righteous path...we will be able to go home." You glanced from his gaze to the outside home. "I miss it all, you know." 

"I wish I remembered it to miss it," he said with a half smile. "All I really remember is that little memory you had helped me with." 

"That's what I'm here for," you said with your lips upturned, gazing back over at him. "That's why I urge you to ask me questions, allow me to help." 

"You only call me Pharaoh," he said, musing. "Did I have a name?" 

You could not help but chuckle. "If you prefer, I can use your name," you said smiling. "I have used it plenty of times in the past anyhow, Atem." 

"May I ask about your past?" He asked before eating another fry off of his plate. Chewing and swallowing thoroughly, he continued. "Since I would assume ours were intertwined."

"Near the last three years they were the most intertwined," you clarified. "I did not start off as royalty, and how you ended up falling for me still eludes me. I was and am grateful of it, though." You took another sip of your drink, before looking at him seriously. "If you would like to hear the story of my past, it may help." 

"I would love to," he replied, leaning in to listen intently. "Especially if you do happen to be my wife after all." 

You chuckled. "I told you this story once before," you said. "I grew up as an orphan, fending for food and running from your father's guards. Bakura and I were good friends, both coming from poverty, helping one another out along the way. You and I met by the Nile when I was 9, and for a while your father tried to forbid us being around one another. Though he did, you kept coming back, and eventually we were found out by Priest Seto. Seto had brought me into the temple as a servant, knowing that you took an interest in me, and we grew closer from there. We were utterly inseparable, and your father eventually gave the blessing for us to wed, knowing it would be what would make his son happy." 

He chuckled, giving you a smile. "You must have been rather wonderful," he mused out. "From what I have seen, you still are, I mean." The last bit he begun getting flustered, feeling as if he may have said the wrong thing. 

This caused you to giggle. "You were the one that was truly enchanting," you replied. "I wish I knew the best way to help you remember." An idea popped in your head, and since the two of you were done with your food, you stood to your feet with a smile. Holding your hand out, you said, "I have an idea."


	13. XIII

He gladly took your hand, though he gave you a curious look as he did. The two of you left the cafe and begun walking, as you led him near the railing by the river. Following you wordlessly, you led him to the most open part of the water, you brought him as close to the water as you were allowed to get. As you got there, you urged him to sit. 

"So, why here?" He asked curiously, his deep lilac eyes admiring the beauty of the area, before flickering back to you. 

You sat beside him closely, placing your hand upon his. "In our younger years, we spent most of our time at the Nile together," you explained with a smile. "I cannot take you to the Nile, but maybe I can spark your memories with something similar." 

"I'm sorry," Yami said, bringing his other hand up to your cheek and stroking your cheekbone with his thumb. 

_ The two of you were just 9, and young Atem had snuck out of the temple to see you at the Nile. He had slipped passed the guards, and ran out to see your smiling face. It was unfortunate, though, that tonight was the night that he was going to tell you that his father would have you killed if he kept sneaking off to see you.  _

_ What he had not known when he snuck passed the guards was that there was in fact a figure following him. He got out to the Nile, and you pulled him down onto the ground in a tight hug. Though there was disappointment in his thoughts, your actions caused him to laugh, his lilac eyes twinkling with happiness.  _

_ You had become the one person to make him happiest, and he could not bare to even tell you the bad news. The two of you rolled around wrestling, turning to tickling, until the two of you were exhausted. When the two of you had been exhausted finally, the two of you merely sat, staring out at the Nile together.  _

_ "Y/N/N," he said softly, causing you to glance over to him. He reached out and placed a hand upon your cheek, stroking your cheekbone with his thumb gently. "I'm sorry. I can't sneak out of the temple anymore to hang out with you."  _

_ You felt your heart drop, and with it your face dropped into a frown as well. Tears began welling in your eyes, and you glanced away from him. "Atem," you said in a weak tone, your voice about to cry. "I don't want to lose you."  _

_ Atem had taken your crying form in his young arms, holding you tightly. "I don't want to lose you either," he said, his voice beginning to crack as well. He could feel hot tears beginning to fall down his face as well as he hugged you tighter. "My father said he's going to have you killed, and I want you to live. I don't want to cause you to die."  _

_ You moved back, still crying as you stared directly into his lilac eyes. The two of you stared at one another for a while, as if both of you were waiting for something to happen. As he was the one to gain the courage first, he pressed his lips against your own innocently, causing blush to rise in your cheeks.  _

_ As the two of you separated, you said, "I like you a lot, Atem," before reaching up to his face and wiping his tears from his face. He reached to your face and did the same to you, giving you a wide smile.  _

_ "I really like you, too, Y/N/N," he replied, somewhat morosely. "I don't know what I'll do without you. You make me so happy."  _

_ "Young Pharaoh," a voice had said behind the two of you, causing you both to jump, ironically him into your arms.  _

_ He looked up at the figure, seeing Priest Seto, whom was only a young teenager by this point, a few years older than the two of you. Atem had placed himself in front of you, his arms wide to shield you. "Don't you dare hurt her," he said defiantly, his deep lilac eyes pleading.  _

_ "Does this girl make you happy, young Pharaoh?" Seto inquired curiously, glancing over the young Atem at you.  _

_ Atem nodded quickly. "Happier than anything," he replied.  _

_ "I need a new servant," Priest Seto mused out, before motioning for Atem to step aside. He glanced at you up and down, curiously. "As long as she works for me, your father will not have her killed. She must report to the temple at dawn."  _

_ Atem and you both smiled brilliantly, before hugging one another, placing another innocent kiss upon each others lips.  _

Yami's eyes had dilated once again, though this time he was remembering more than just the one memory. He was remembering the time that he had protected you by the Nile, as well as some of the times that you would be around him in the temple. As he was remembering, he got vague memories of their teen years as well, small bits of the wedding day and the day that she had lost him. Though he did not understand all of it, he was shown by his memory that it had to do with the Millennium items, with Duel Monsters that were true monsters. 

When he was done remembering, he was practically panting after the flood of memories. It took him a few minutes to actually come back to reality, where he had seen you now reaching out to him to see if he was okay. Knowing a few of the memories that he remembered, he got a fun idea. He took the arm that you were reaching out for him and pulled you down on top of him, before he begun tickling you. 

You burst out into laughter, wriggling around as he tickled you. As you caught on to what he was doing, you flipped him around and began tickling him, turning into a full on tickle war until the two of you stopped to breathe once more. When the two of you had stopped tickling one another, you both lied down on the grass, and your eyes glanced over to him. 

"Y/N/N," Yami said with a gentle smirk, glancing back over at you. 

"How much do you remember?" You asked curiously, raising an eyebrow at him. 

"Not a lot, but enough to remember us, as well as having a lot of questions about Millennium Items and real monsters," he replied. 

You scooched over to him, resting your head upon his chest, and you felt him wrap an arm around you. The two of you simply lied like that for a while, enjoying each other's presence. Though you figured that he did not remember every tiny bit about your marriage, you felt happier to almost have your husband back. After a while of simply lying there, you said, "You can ask any questions about Millenium Items that you wish." Sighing content, you continued. "And I'm glad to hear some of your memories are back, Atem." 

"I think that's enough remembering for one day," he murmured out softly, kissing the top of your head. "For now, I just want to enjoy my time with you." 

You could not help but smile widely, curling closer in his arms. "We can't save the world in a day anyhow," you said with a chuckle. "I'd adore getting the chance to spend the rest of the day with you. I truly have missed you." 

His arm wrapped tighter around you, the other joining to caress your hair softly. "I missed you as well, Y/N," he replied fondly. "I cannot imagine how its been living all this time." 

"You know, I dream of you nightly," you said in almost a whisper. "I have done so for the last 5,000 years." You giggled softly. "I think it may actually improve now that you remember me." 


	14. XIV

The two of you had spent the whole day together that day, enjoying each other's company, cuddling, kissing, and acting like a modern couple. You even walked down the streets hand in hand, which had looked a little odd to any onlooker that knew Yugi himself. No one would have believed that the two of you were thousands of years old, despite any that held millennium items. 

You looked back upon that day fondly as you got ready for school the next day, humming softly to yourself as you did so. Today, you had woken up early to get ready, doing your hair nicely before placing your school uniform on and running off to school. As you came into Domino High, you were greeted by your friend group with happy smiles, Tèa waved you over to the group. Yugi smiled at you knowingly, since though he gave you guys privacy for the most part, it was likely that the two of them had talked later. 

Classes had droned on and on that day, and you had been dazing out the entire time. Everything was always so monotonous, and if it were not for the impending future of you being able to stop this cycle after the world is truly saved, you would just drop out, even lie down. Yugi sat beside you in your chemistry class, noticing you dazing out, and flicked a small piece of paper at you. You were almost too dazed to even notice it was there, but as you did notice, you placed it under your notebook, reading it inconspicuously. 

_ Y/N, _

_ _ _ How about we head to the museum after school? Now that Atem remembers you, seeing some artifacts from his time may spark some memories of the great evil you were talking about. Also, are you okay? He’s worried about you. _

_ -Yugi _

You smiled gently at the note, before carefully ripping a small piece of paper out of your notebook and writing back to him. Ironically enough, the thought of going to the museum later was exciting to you, no matter if it was Yugi or Atem was to be joining you. By this point, you would even be fine with the whole group going, though you would rather the alone time. 

_ Yugi, _

_ _ _ That sounds wonderful. Kind of feel bad for not thinking of it myself. Gives me something to look forward to later, though! And tell him I’m okay - I’ve graduated thousands of times, and just can’t seem to focus on the lessons today. _

_ -Y/N _

When the teacher was not looking, you carefully sent the note over to him, motioning for him to hide it before reading it. You bit your lip gently, trying to get yourself to focus back up in the class so the teacher would not keep glancing back at you. There was not a great deal of time left in the class, but you were so tired of everything. Thousands of years of school was just too much, and since you were aware that your waiting was almost over, you were just so ready to get it over with and head back home. 

Often during the classes, you would think back to the old times, and though you understood that your husband was the hero that this world needs, part of you just wished that things had been different. You wished that your best friend did not accuse you of betrayal, and you wished for the old friends that you did have. Sometimes you would imagine your husband in his royal garbs, that wondrous smirk that graced his face as the two of you would get ready for slumber. Occasionally, you would just think of lying in his arms at night, enjoying the warmth of his arms as the two of you slumbered. Immortality may have not been nearly as much of a curse if you had been able to spend it by his side all these years, but him being in a host body just seemed to give you more hindrances than anything. 

As you spaced out once again, class had begun letting out, and you felt a gentle tap on the shoulder from the meek Yugi Moto. His light smile that painted itself on his face was deceiving the worried look in his large lilac eyes as he looked at you. Though your husband was worried about you, he was not the only one, and you could see that with his eyes. After a few moments, you had grabbed your books silently, rising to your feet. Giving him a reassuring smile, the two of you had walked to the lockers together, since yours was right near his. 

“You sure you’re okay?” Yugi asked, once again, once he closed his locker back up. 

You chuckled softly. “As long as I don’t have to sit through another lecture today, I’ll be perfectly fine,” you replied with a smile. “So, do you need to stop home before the museum, I’m assuming?”

He nodded with a gentle smile. “I have to check in with my grandfather, and then I’ll meet you at the museum,” he replied. “How about an hour?” 

You nodded affirmatively, before grabbing your music out of your bag and placing it into your pocket, the earbuds held gently between your fingers. “I’ll see you in an hour then!” you said enthusiastically, trying to seem like everything was completely copacetic before saying your goodbyes and heading out. Your apartment was too far from the school to head to first, so you planned on just heading to the museum and waiting for him. Placing the earbuds in your ears, you begin your journey to the museum, sinking into your music as you walked. 

_ Finding refuge in my own lies _

_ How are you I'm doing alright _

_ Small talk is a great disguise _

_ Just let me be _

_ Empty thoughts start to crowd my mind _

_ Am I only living, living to survive? _

_ Shake it off but I've lost the drive _

_ Just let me be _

_ let me be okay _

_ No one knows what goes on up inside my head _

_ There's a new kind of poison and it's starting to spread _

_ No one knows what goes on up inside my head _

_ They don't think I need help _

_ But I'm scaring myself _

_ I just want to be okay _

_ All the voices in my head are coming to life _

_ They're getting louder and I'm terrified _

_ How do you run from your own mind? _

_ Is this what I've become? _

_ Take it back, what have I done? _

_ No one knows what goes on up inside my head _

_ There is a new kind of poison and starting to spread _

_ No one knows what goes on up inside my head _

_ They don't think I need help _

_ But I'm scaring myself _

_ I just want to be okay _

_ No one knows what goes on up inside my head _

_ There's a new kind of poison and it's starting to spread _

_ But I didn't think the antidote was in my hands _

_ I can change my plans, I can change my plans _

_ I tried to find my reflection on the glass _

_ But all I ever saw were the things I lack _

_ All the smudges on the mirror made me go insane _

_ All I ever thought I was _

_ Was a mistake. _

(Faith Marie - Antidote)

As you sunk into the music, you thought about everything you were going through. The struggle of living for so long had caused you to basically lose your drive, just as the singer pointed out. You were beginning to lose it, though you wanted everything to be better for your husband’s sake. You wanted to stay happy, and stay strong, for him. It was so hard for you to fight your own mind. 

The only things that ever seemed to make you happy anymore were the moments with him, and you knew you could not have those very often. After all, it was Yugi’s body, and you could not be selfish with him. You refused to even personally ask to just talk to Atem, or Yami as he refers still with the group. It was as if your mind was telling you that you wanted to make up for the lost time that you had missed out on, because you had lived for those 5,000 years. You had not just woken back up one day - you lived day in and day out. 

No matter how deeply you cared for the people of this time, the people of this time reminded you of those in your past. There were a lot of reincarnations walking around now, and those are the ones that you have been getting close to. They remind you of your past, and you worry that maybe you like having them around for that reason. You wondered how selfish you must be for that. Caring for the Mokuba of this time came from caring for the one in your past, as it was the same with Seto reminding you of Priest Seto. It was selfish of you, but you wished that you could be with them. The next best thing was the reincarnations, though it was not the same. They did not have the same memories, or their same enjoyment as the old friends did. 


	15. XV

You had been so lost in thought that a full hour had passed, as you felt arms wrap around your shoulders, a head leaning upon your own. For a moment, you almost reacted negatively, until you realized precisely what was going on. “My Pharaoh,” you murmured out happily, and he moved to allow you to get up. A smile crossed your face and you placed a quick kiss upon his lips. 

“I’m sorry to keep you waiting, Y/N,” he said sheepishly, realizing how lost in thought you truly were when he had arrived. 

You chuckled, saying, “I just walked from school to here, so any waiting was on me anyhow,” before offering your hand out to him. “Shall we?” The two of you tangled your fingers together, holding hands as you walked into the museum. Thankfully it had been a free museum, so the two of you did not have to wait for anything to walk over to the ancient egyptian exibits. Not everything was done in the area, but they did still have it open to the public. 

The two of you were walking by two doors, before you were brought to an abrupt halt. “I sense something, down there,” he mentioned, pointing with his free hand to the basement doors. 

"In the basement?" You mused, glancing over at him. "There is something emitting energy, so it's worth a shot." You gave him a reassuring smile, and as the two of you walked to the doors themselves, his forehead had glowed with the same symbol that each millenium item possesses, showing that the two of you were going the correct way. 

"It's an egyptian tablet," he said, directing your attention to the far corner. As the two of you walked closer to it, you could clearly see the depiction of the shadow games that were played so long ago, seeing his battle with Priest Seto. 

You bit your lip gently and glanced over to the deep lilac eyes that were fixated upon the tablet. "It's you, my Inine(sweet*)," you murmured in a gentle tone, using your home language to show endearment. 

"Is that Egyptian?" He asked, catching the word that you used, causing you to smile. 

"Yes, it means sweet," you replied. "I presume since you don't have your memory, you don't really remember our ancient language either." You chuckled softly, your cheeks heating with blush from embarrassment. "But that is you and Priest Seto in the midst of a shadow game. Evil sorcerers used powers to try to take over the world, while a young and powerful Pharaoh had locked those powers away in the millennium items." 

"And that same Pharaoh is needed again to save mankind once more," you heard a voice behind you say in a soft, feminine voice. The two of you turned, and you gave the woman a knowledgeable smile. You had met the last holder of the millennium necklace, though you did not recognize this holder. "Y/N?" She questioned with a look as if she had seen a ghost, causing you to smile more. 

"Why, yes," you said, trying to hold back your laughter. "And you may be?" 

"I am Ishizu," she said. "And I have uncovered many mysteries about you and about these ancient carvings with the magic of my Millennium Necklace." She touched it gently, and as she said 'you', she had glanced towards Yami. "This necklace affords me certain powers. With it, I have gazed 5,000 years into the past to a time when evil sorcerers threatened to destroy the entire world." Ishizu glanced back at you, eying you skeptically. "You, Y/N, are over 5,000 years old. How do you keep this form?" 

You held up your wrist that held your Millenium Rose, giving her a gentle smile. "I have lived many lives with this curse," you said thoughtfully. "And seeing as you seemed to have been waiting for us, I presume you see more than just the past?" 

"Yes, and it is time for the same King who rescued mankind 5,000 years ago to do so once more," she said. "I'm glad to see his loving wife by his side as well."

"That King is me?" He asked, shocked. 

Both you and Ishizu had nodded at the same time. 

"To rescue mankind from what?" He asked. 

"The events of the past will occur once again, and that same great evil will return to threaten us," she said vaguely. 

"How will I recognize this evil?" He asked the woman. 

"I know that your memory has faded, my Pharaoh, and that you seek many answers," Ishizu said. "I also know a duel monsters tournament is beginning. If you win it, you will find your answers." 

The woman had left just as quickly as she had come, walking away from you and him without truly giving a great deal of answers. Unfortunately for you, though you knew of the past, Yami would need to regain his memory, and you telling him what he seeks to know would not be enough. If he were to remember it for himself, then he would have the proper knowledge to save the world. 

Yami had been talking to Yugi as you stood in thought, staring at the tablet once more. Unfortunately for you, you had known what those evils may have looked like - at least some of them - as they reside in hosted reincarnations of those you used to care for. Bakura was definitely one evil you did not wish to face, or watch be destroyed a second time, no matter the grudge he held upon you. 


	16. XVI

The two of you had left the museum after a while, heading back to Yugi Moto's home. When you had arrived there, he had received an invitation to the tournament, and you had wondered if your home had the same. If you had not, it would have been fine for you, but curiosity was killing you. It was hosted by the reincarnation of someone you cared for in the past, and he knew that you were a worthy adversary. 

Yami had finally spoken up after the two of you left the game shop, standing at the side of the road. "Do you wish to stop at your place and drop off your school bag?" He asked curiously, seeing as you had the backpack on for hours after the day had ended. 

Knowing you could not show that you were getting your hopes up and get rid of your heavy messenger bag at the same time, you nodded, being shaken out of thought by his words. "That would be wonderful," you said softly, and the two of you begun your walk. It was not overly far from Yugi's home, and the two of you still walked hand in hand. 

"I don't know if everything Ishizu said is true," he stated, thinking back to the museum, as well as the upcoming tournament. "But I do know that I need to enter this tournament and win in order to fulfill my destiny." 

You smiled gently, squeezing his hand reassuringly. "I know you will," you said sweetly. "And you'll have all of us backing you up on that. I do wish for you to know that she was indeed correct, though, about the past. I believe her future predictions in the aspect that I was, editors choice, written out of the scripture by your father. There is only one tablet in known existence that actually has me in it."

He chuckled softly. "And I presume you have this tablet?" He said jokingly. 

"Actually, yes," you said with a sheepish smile. "I never have brought you back to my apartment." 

"May I see it?" He asked. 

You gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, as you could see your apartment in sight. "Of course," you replied. "I'm not fond of it, but it may help you recall your past." 

You unlatched the door and allowed him inside, grabbing the mail out of your slot as you did. Mindlessly you flipped through, until you had seen the invitation that made your heart stop for a moment. Yami had already begun checking out your place as you held the invitation firmly in your hand, wondering what exactly you should do about it. 

As you remembered the tablet, you tucked the invitation in your bag, setting it down next to the door before going off to find Yami. He was admiring some of the knick knacks that you had in your living room, as they had ranged a large span of time, showing different places that you had lived in miniature statue form. 

You grabbed his hand, saying, "Come with me," before ushering him off to your room. You proceeded to the far side of the room where your closet was, uncovering the tablet that was quite large. It had a depiction of the reasoning for the grudge between you and Bakura - the Thief King trying to steal the Pharaoh's most prized possession- his wife. 

"This is the tablet," you said, carefully setting it against the wall so he would be able to see it properly. 

"What does that depict?" He asked curiously, seeing that there was you, himself, and then Bakura with a shadow monster. 

"The Thief King trying to steal the Pharaoh's most prized possession," you murmured out, embarrassed to say it aloud. It had sounded like you were boasting about yourself, but in actuality that was written in hieroglyphs in front of you. "And the Queen casting the Thief King away." 

"So, this is me, and that would be you," he said, pointing, though being careful not to touch the tablet itself. "And that's…that looks like Bakura." 

"Do you recall the shadow game that you fought Bakura in at Duelist Kingdom?" You said, taking a glance at his curious deep lilac eyes. 

"I do," he said. 

"That's where that immense amount of banter came from," you said softly. "The Thief King - Bakura, had sought revenge upon us, because he felt he was the one that had the right to my heart." 

_ The night was full of deep blackness, to the point that someone who stared would be nauseated by the sight. Bakura had snuck past the temple's walls to find you - to bring you back to him. What he was met with was the sight of Pharaoh Atem and yourself peacefully lying in slumber, your head resting upon his chest while his arms held you tightly.  _

_ For a few moments, he had stared at the sight, horrified of the happiness he had seen with his own eyes. Your lips were in a contented smile as you slumbered. The Thief King believed, though, that he would be able to create that same happiness with you. He yanked you directly out of your slumber, causing yourself as well as your husband to wake in fright. Holding tightly to your arm, he begun dragging you, while you clawed at anything you possibly could to stay.  _

_ "Atem!" You screamed as he continued to drag you, your husbands sleepy eyes becoming alert quickly as he dashed to your rescue. Your heart beat wildly in fear, and you dared not look at your attacker. Atem had grabbed your arm, trying to peel the man from you to no avail. The two of them were merely pulling your limbs, causing your pain to rise in each side, as if you were being torn apart.  _

_ "What do you want with my Queen?" Atem had spat out to the attacker. He had a full view of the man's face, though you had refused to look back out of fear.  _

_ The man pulling you chuckled darkly, saying, "My Efik(love*) will be mine once more." You gasped in horror. Though you never loved Bakura in a romantic sense, hearing his voice - his desperation to take you - broke your heart. He had turned to the path of evil after he had lost you, and with that strength that he possessed now, he thought he would win.  _

_ "I was never yours, Bakura," you spat out, causing him to drop you. As he did, you had been flung back into Atem's arms, the two of you tumbling down. You could almost see tears in the Thief King's eyes as he looked down at the two of you, a frown prominent upon his face.  _

_ He brought out a shadow creature to attempt to win you, but Atem had brought out the Dark Magician. As they fought, Atem had come out victorious, and the Pharaoh's guards had locked up the Thief King.  _

Atem had grimaced, before pulling you directly into his arms. His eyes had previously dilated, remembering what had happened that day, and he remembered why he must be so protective of you. Kissing the top of your head, he stroked your hair with his free hand. "I remember," he said in a low voice. "Is he the evil that I must face?" 

You curled in closer to him, nuzzling comfortably. "This evil will come in many forms," you replied uncomfortably. "Though I would presume him to be one of those forms, in the Millennium Ring." 

"Facing him won't be safe for you," he murmured out softly, worried. 

You chuckled, saying, "That is why we face these evils together, my inine Pharaoh. I will be attending the tournament as well." 

He brought your face upward so you would meet his deep lilac eyes. "Yes, I know, you will be by my side with the rest of our friends," he said with a smile. 

You bit your lip gently, giving him a sheepish smile. "I will also be participating," you replied. 

"You got an invitation?" He said in shock. 

His shock made you laugh softly. "I did, yes," you almost whispered. "I checked the mail as we walked in, and if I lose my Egyptian God Card, I better be losing it to you. That sort of power in the wrong hands can be fatal."


	17. XVII

Today was the day, and you were more concerned than you thought you should be for a Duel Monster’s tournament. Since you had gotten an invitation to Battle City, your duel disc was clasped to your arm, on the opposite hand of the Millennium Rose. You stroked the Egyptian bracelet gently as you prepared to head out to the Battle City tournament. Mentally, you attempted to psych yourself up, before you grabbed your deck and placed it in the duel disc. With your locator card tucked safely away on your person, you took a last sip of your coffee before you walked out of the door of your apartment. 

Walking quickly, you were met with a crowd of different duelists, all adorned with a duel disc upon their arm. You personally were adorned in a pair of tight black skinny jeans, topped with three belts in a criss-cross fashion upon it. The shirt you wore was skin tight leather with a f/c tank top. It was a relatively plain outfit, though you did not want to be someone that the world just sought out anyhow. Your y/h/c hair cascaded past your shoulders, with gentle ringlets at the bottom. There were already a few scummy looking duelists eyeing you up, likely as their easy target, and you shot a glare in their direction. 

As you reached the location for Battle City, you scanned around with your eyes, hoping that you would at least see someone you knew. Your hopes were upon finding Yugi or Joey, since both of them would be participating in the tournament. After a few minutes of looking around, you had initially ran into Mai, shortly followed by finding Yugi. Relief washed over you as you reached him, as you knew Yami would be there as well, and that he would be the one taking over for the duels. 

The group talked for a while, shortly meeting up with Rex Raptor and Weevil once more, as well as Mako. Everyone that you had recognized were from the last tournament, though there were a great deal of unfamiliar faces in the crowd. It was not long that the group had their conversation that you begun to hear Kaiba’s voice, wondering where he was speaking from. 

“Greetings,” you could hear Seto Kaiba talking on a zeppelin television screen as you were surrounded by different duelists. It was not overly shocking that he was not in person at the very beginning of this event after all, with his high standards for dueling, he would likely show his face once the finals were actually coming. You had chased Yugi to get a better look at the screen as Kaiba was speaking. 

“Welcome to the Battle City Tournament,” Kaiba continued with a light smirk upon his face. “It’s time to put your dueling skills to the test. I hope none of you entered my tournament looking for friendly competition.” Your eyes shifted over to Yugi for a moment, before they were glued back to the screen. The three of you were well aware that this tournament had a lot more in store for Yami than merely friendly competition anyhow, especially with his destiny coming into play.

“Battle city’s gonna be an all-out war,” Seto Kaiba continued, and you felt your heart tighten a bit at the thought, though you were sure that you would all be up for anything that was thrown at you. “Before my battle city tournament begins, I thought I’d let you all know what you’re in for. In case you want to back out now.” You swallowed hard, staring up at the large television by Yugi’s side.

“Let’s begin with my new duel discs,” he continued, and your eyes glanced to the one that adorned your arm, listening to what Kaiba was saying. “Everyone who I decided was good enough to enter received one. With it, you can duel anytime, anywhere, and they contain a tracking chip that allows me to watch every move you make.”  _ Well, that’s not creepy or anything, _ you thought to yourself, holding in a chuckle.  _ It must be to make sure none of the duelists cheat or anything, though, so it makes sense. What it sounds like is that he wants to regulate what is going on, and also know when someone is eliminated.  _

“Next, let’s talk about the most important tournament rule,” Kaiba said in a serious tone, and you had a feeling you had known what was to come. There was already talk around about losing rare cards if you lose, and you knew that anyone who knew about your Slifer the Skydragon card would be after battling you - or too scared to battle you because of the card itself. It was almost like having an Exodia in your deck. Someone either believes they can trample you and get your card, or they think they’ll lose something to you. “The loser of each duel is required to fork over their rarest card to the winner. If you don’t have the guts to risk losing your precious cards, then I suggest you forfeit now.” Though it was a large risk for you to be in this tournament, you knew the fate of the world rested in the balance, and you would not forfeit. You would not lose. This, you were determined about, though your uncomfortable feeling in your stomach was unpleasant.

“And anyone who’s foolish enough can challenge me to a duel,” he continued, “because I’ll also be competing in this tournament, but don’t get your hopes up, because I intend to win, and there’s two duelists out there I can’t wait to defeat.” 

Since you had faced him at Duelist Kingdom and lost all your star chips, knowing you would have killed him if you did not surrender the match, you knew that you were the second person on his list. Anyone with a brain would have an Egyptian God Card on their hit list, if they felt like they had the moxy to beat you. You could not help but smirk a little bit at the thought.  _ Seto would be a fun target later on, but not in the beginning,  _ you thought.  _ Starting strong, I’d like my last before the finals - or during the finals - to be my battle with Seto Kaiba. _

“Bring it on, Kaiba,” you could hear Yugi saying softly to himself, causing you to smile lightly over at him, giving him a knowing wink. He glanced over to you, and knew that you were the other person Kaiba was speaking of as well. Giving you a reassuring smile back, the two of you glanced back to the screen to hear the rest of what Seto Kabia would say.


	18. XVIII

“And speaking of winning,” Kaiba continued on his television screen, “Only the 8 best duelists will make it to the final round, and these finals will be held at a hidden location.” You could hear the controversy from players that were only a small bit behind the two of you, wondering how anyone would show up to a secret location if it was - well - secret. Obviously there was a twist, and you waited for Kaiba to continue what he was saying, holding in a chuckle as you listened to all the confusion.

“In order to find the finals, you’ll need these locator cards,” he said, now holding up an identical locator card as to the one that was tucked away on your person. “You’ve each received one with your duel disc, but don’t get too excited, because one’s not enough. You’ll need 6 of them to make it to the tournament finals.” This made you think about who, out of the duelists you had seen, you would want to face. You would need to defeat 6 players, and not lose a single match to receive enough locator cards to enter the finals. Of course, though it was the Pharaoh’s destiny to make it to the finals and win, you still were determined to be a part of this adventure as far as you could possibly take it. You wondered if maybe you would like to lose to Yami if you were to lose, though in the same sense, you had to have faith in the heart of the cards, knowing that you would win each match instead of simply losing your rarest card - your guardian card - as a trump to Yugi and Yami.

“Every time you win a duel, you get a locator card from your losing opponent,” Kaiba explained further.  _ Man, this Seto truly can talk a lot,  _ you thought to yourself, almost inwardly chuckling.  _ He did make this a very thought out tournament, though. I have to give him credit for his intelligence. _ “When 6 cards are stacked together, they produce a map of Battle City, and activate a global positioning satellite, which will transmit the location to you, but the tournament finals are a long time away, and most of you will be eliminated way before that.”

You took the moment of silence as a moment to glance back at the crowd of duelists once more. There were definitely a lot of people attending this tournament, and yet there were only eight finalists to compete for champion. It was interesting to muse about who would actually be able to make it to the championship, despite Yugi, whom you already knew would be able to plow through the tournament relatively quickly. You believed in Yami, and you knew that he would be able to win it all. 

“Alright,” Kaiba said, completely interrupting your thoughts. “Everything I just said and more can be found in my tournament rulebook.”  _ He says there’s a rulebook, but how many of these, if any of these, duelists would read the rulebook?  _ You wondered to yourself. “Just remember, only one player can win and claim the title of number-one duelist in the world!” Once he said that, the camera changed from his face to his full body, as he was definitely adorning a duel disc of his own. His actions went along with his words by this point as he was finishing addressing everyone. “Now, get ready, duelists. Let the tournament begin!”

“Well, time to face my destiny!” Yugi said with a determined look upon his face. 

You were feeling uneasy, but you did not mention it as you had just given him a nod in his direction. The two of you had overheard Joey yelling about something to an older man in a cape, both running over to check out what was going on. When the two of you had gotten there, you saw the way that his cape was draped over him with a millennium symbol holding it together, immediately shivering at the thought. His eyes shifted over to you from Yugi as Joey was yelling about it being a rare hunter that needed to give him a rematch. 

“I’ve already told you, you have nothing that’s of any use to me,” the creepy older man said, closing his laptop. “But perhaps your friend would be interested in being my next victim.”

You stepped forward, nodding to the man. “I would be willing,” you said confidently. “With the prize being his Red Eyes Black Dragon.”

“No, no, my Queen,” he said with a manic laugh. “Not you. The Master wants to take your rare card personally. You are off-limits.”

You felt a shiver creep up your spine at his words. As you stood, you could feel Joey and Yugi’s eyes boring into you at his words, likely both wondering the same that you were. “And where may I find your, uh, Master?”  _ The word Queen sounds so wrong coming out of that man’s mouth, _ you thought uncomfortably.

“He will find you when the time is right,” he said. “For the Red Eyes Black Dragon, It would be my pleasure to hunt the duelist kingdom champion and snare his Dark Magician. I challenge Yugi Moto to a duel.”

“Wait, this is between you and me!” Joey countered in his Brooklyn accent.

“Joey, wait,” Yugi said. “Fine, rare hunter! I accept your challenge!”

“But, Yuge,” Joey tried countering.

“It’s the only way to get back your Red Eyes Black Dragon!” Yugi said, “I promise you, I’ll beat him, Joey!” You watched as Yugi allowed Yami to take over, a soft smile upon your face despite the discomfort you were feeling about this whole tournament. “So, do we have a deal, rare hunter? As my first battle city opponent, if you lose, you must return Joey’s Red Eyes Black Dragon!” Yami pointed at the rare hunter as he spoke, his deep voice dominant as he spoke. “And if you win this duel, I’ll hand over my Dark Magician to you.”

“Yugi, there’s no way I’m letting you risk your Dark Magician!” Joey countered. “I can take him.” 

You cut in with a confident smile upon your face. “Believe in him, Joey,” you said sternly. “I know he can do it.”

Yami turned over to you with a sweet, yet semi concerned smile upon his face. “You should stay close by, Y/N,” he instructed protectively. “If the rare hunter boss is after you, I don’t want you getting hurt.”

“I told you before, I’m planning on being around to support you anyhow,” you said softly. He leaned over and placed a gentle kiss upon your lips before turning back to his conversation with Joey. You had a bad feeling in the pit of your stomach, but you knew it was not about the duel that was about to unfold - it was for what the future of this tournament would hold. 


	19. XIX

After the battle was finished, there was a foreboding message through the rare hunter that was sent to the shadow realm from a creep called Marik. What the three of you had learned was that apparently he had been the leader of the Rare Hunters, or Master as the rare hunter had referred to him as upon your first meeting. The boys talked about how Yugi could keep the Red Eyes Black Dragon, and how much of a team they were, while your mind wandered towards whom you would be able to go find and battle. You had to choose your first opponent carefully, and you were not sure if anyone had even been eliminated yet. It was likely that there were many people with two locator cards already, and you needed to get started.

Joey had left first, going off to find his first duel of the tournament. Yami and yourself were left standing together, as he turned to you. “Y/N, stay safe,” he cautioned sternly. “I know you cannot follow me around during the whole tournament, but that creep Marik is after you for some reason.”

“The Egyptian God Card,” you said simply, giving him a half smile. “He must know that I have Slifer, and knowing that, I would be a target. It may not help that I was part of the reason everything was sealed away as well, but I’m presuming its the card itself.”

He frowned, placing a hand on your cheek, running his thumb across your cheekbone. “I don’t want my Queen getting hurt,” he said in a whisper, before the two of you closed the gap in a passionate kiss. You moved your arms around his neck carefully because of the duel disc that you wore, and he used the arm without his duel disc, pulling you closer to him. The two of you did not kiss for long, because you both knew it was time to go find your own opponents. 

As the two of you separated, he placed one last peck upon your forehead, saying, “I hope to run into you again soon, cheering you on,” which made your face fill with blush before you nodded.

“I hope to do the same, my Pharaoh,” you cooed sweetly, and you both parted ways. 

***

You had caught some of Joey’s duel before you had run into Mako Tsunami. As you had run into Mako, a soft smile had formed upon your face. He was one of the duelists at Duelist Kingdom that you had not gotten the chance to duel against, though you did get the chance to watch the duel that took place against him. 

“Hey, Mako,” you called out, quickening your pace to catch up with him. 

He gave you a large smile in return, greeting, “Hello, Y/N.”

“Would you like to be my first challenger?” you asked sweetly, giving him innocent eyes that you had known he would fall for. If you were an easy target, of course he would want to jump on the idea of battling you. For the most part, you had seen his strategy back in Duelist Kingdom, and thought it would be a good, yet not a horribly quick battle. 

He was no pushover as you dueled against him, him sending strong aquatic cards against you. Battling against him, you had to strategize, using magic and trap cards properly paired with your stronger monster cards, the duel ended up being pretty close between the two of you. Through the battle, you did not exactly trash talk him, instead complimenting on the moves that you found positive. Mako was a relatively polite duelist, and you found yourself smiling through the battle, enjoying yourself. The stresses of the upcoming world-changing issues seemed to fade away as you immerse yourself, believing in the heart of your cards. Though you had drawn Slifer, you did not use it against him, winning the battle and claiming your first locator card along with his Fortress Whale.

When the two of you had finished your duel, he was kind about it, and he was not out, since he did have one other locator card from an earlier tournament battle. As he handed you both, he also outstretched a hand, which you gladly took, shaking it firmly. From what you would assume, you were his first loss of the tournament, while he was your first win. 

“Thank you, Mako, that was an exciting battle,” you said with a bright smile against your lips. 

He gave you a sheepish smile, taking one glance down at Fortress Whale before allowing you to take it, placing it in your side deck to sort into your deck later. “You really made a splash, Y/N!” he said excitedly. “I really was surprised about that tidal wave. Good luck!”

“Good luck to you as well!” you said brightly, giving him one last smile before the two of you had parted ways. 

Shortly after your battle with Mako, you were challenged by a newcomer to the tournament. The duelist had specialized with a bug deck, though it was not Weevil. When you faced the duelist, it turned out to be a relatively quick match, you ending up with two locator cards from the duelist as wagered, leaving you with 4 locator cards early on in the tournament. It was only day one, and you could feel the excitement rushing through you upon that realization. You had only needed two more locator cards to enter the finals. 

With a smile upon your face, you wanted to run off and find your friends, especially Yami. You wished to tell him about your progress, and support him through his next duel. To your dismay, as you walked around the area that you were in currently, you were seeing no sign of anyone. There were barely even any trainers as you continued to walk.

Time began passing by quickly, and you could feel anxiety prickling your body, your y/e/c eyes darting back and forth through every spot that you could possibly think of to find them. While you were attempting to find Yami and the others, you started to realize that you had not recognized anyone around you. You had wandered and wandered, your four locator cards tucked carefully on your person. 

Yami had warned you to be careful, and to stay close by, and yet there you were - utterly alone. You were glad to have received two locator cards, but all you wanted to do was find your friends and your husband. Through this time, you did not know how they were doing, and with all the rare hunters around, you were beginning to get worried. Pace quickening, you walked around, even checking alleys to see if maybe they had taken a break. It would have been nice to at least run into someone you could ask if they had seen them, but you did not. 


	20. XX

As you were frantically searching for your friends, you had not noticed some strange men before they had grabbed you. One placed a hand harshly upon your mouth, while they both grabbed you, pulling you into the shadows. Though you flailed, you could not scream to alert anyone of what was going on, and soon you were in an unknown area. While you watched your surroundings change, you had not been able to even know where this odd place was, though you were sure that the only explanation was rare hunters. Why you were being captured was a mystery, though this would not be the first time in the last 5,016 years. You were scared regardless of how many times you were captured in the past, especially with this new threat of evil upon you. 

Everything was dark around you, and you were thrown messily onto the ground by the two men before you heard footsteps walk away from where they had thrown you, sounding as if they were kneeling to someone before they fully exited the room. Your whole body shook as you pushed yourself up from the ground below you, your heart beating wildly. Attempting to catch your breath, you tried to look for a light - look for anything that would even somewhat look like an escape. To your dismay, you had seen nothing. The darkness was suffocating around you, and you felt as if you were in one of your prior nightmares, and yet you were wide awake. You were not trapped by your own mind, and instead in genuine danger with none of your friends in sight.

As you thought in silence, you thought about how maybe it was best that your friends and love were not in sight. In actuality, that could mean that they were not in danger. Having the Queen of ancient Egypt locked up was much less of a concern to you than having the Pharaoh who now walked the planet once again to fulfill destiny in chains. 

"Queen Y/N," you heard an all too familiar voice speak in an almost manic tone. His voice may have been, in fact, a touch smoother when he was not speaking through a minion. Despite that, it was more than obvious that the man was the leader of the rare hunters. His knowledge of who you truly were caused you worry on top of it all. "What a pleasure to finally meet you." 

"Marik, I presume, or are you hiding behind some more smoke and mirrors?" You said, trying to keep up a tough visage, though inside you wanted to scream and cry. You wanted to cry for your Pharaoh, though you assumed he would be nowhere near you. Maybe he was already possessing enough locator cards for battle city. That would be wonderful, after all. 

Though you still could not see the man, you could hear him laughing at what you had said, with sinister underlay. "You, my dear, get the first honor of seeing the Pharaoh of the new world," he cooed out, before light flooded the room. "Out of your little friends, at least."

As the illumination came, your eyes took a few moments to adjust to the new surroundings, darting back and forth to look for an escape. While you were looking around, a man in a hooded cape begun walking towards you. With no avail of escape, your eyes fixated upon the man who had kidnapped you. From what you could see, he had a sinister smirk upon his face, paired with longer light blonde hair. 

"There is no escape," he said manically. "Though, my dear, we must go on a little adventure. You will be joining me for the plan." 

"How about you take off that hood and show me who it is you are, if you're giving me the honor anyhow," You said, though in actuality you had known that seeing his face would not make this any better. Trapped, and no one even knew that you were gone. They probably all thought you were just in a duel, or looking for one. 

He took off his hood, his smirk seeming to grow if that was even physically possible, and all you could do was gape at the man. He had lighter lilac eyes than your Pharaoh, and long, incredibly blonde hair. His skin was deep, as yours once was, and his earrings reminded you of your life 5,000 years ago. Despite his appearance, you were able to observe with your Millennium Rose that though the man used the power of the millennium rod, it was not a second entity. 

"You're not even truly an ancient spirit," you mused out with a chuckle. "What's even your angle?" 

"There's no time to chat," he said with another laugh. The man came forward as you scurried back, though it did not take long for him to grab your arms, placing chains upon them. He pulled your bonds, as if you were a common slave. It seemed like forever that the two of you had walked, mostly been dragged. 

You had been pulled forcefully onto the man's motorcycle, and how he expected you to actually hold on was beyond you. Marik had not talked a great deal to you, though you would occasionally mumble about how stupid he was. You believed in your Pharaoh and your friends - no matter what stupidity he would bring, the lot of you would face it. 

As the two of you ride, you had opted to hold tightly to him with the bit of your hands that you could. After all, you could not help your friends if you were to fall off of his motorcycle and die. The man knew not to use mind control on you, though the threat of your friends in danger mixed with restraints had kept you thoroughly docile for him. 

Your skin crawled as you held onto him, while he smirked as he rode the motorcycle, likely thinking of his sinister plans for you and your friends - and especially your love. Though the man was aesthetically pleasing to many, you could not find the man actually attractive, seeing as he was taking you away from your one and only. Living for 5,000 years waiting for your dear Pharaoh, you would never throw that away for the evil that you were cursed to help stop. 

The man rode through alleyways, as he seemed to enjoy the darkness and comfort of his shadows. You were seemingly uncomfortable the whole way, and the man had not asked once of your well being. In turn, you had also not expected him to ask. 


	21. XXI

One alleyway had proven to be much more dangerous than the others, and a familiar face had made your heart practically stop in place. You knew that the man blocking the pathway would not be the light, kind boy that your friends had known. It was the Thief King himself, in his host body blocking your way. 

He had threatened Marik, Marik did not seem to be phased by the man who was unknown to him. When he saw the Millennium Ring that the man possessed, he seemed to smirk in amusement. It was bad enough to have the two evil conquests going on in the same, but to have the two meet would either be a strong alliance or a difficult battle. 

"My name is Marik," Marik introduced as he stood off of his motorcycle, face to face with your old friend. Though your hands were bound, you still could not help but think of every way that you could possibly escape. Your heart went out for the white haired man, though, reminding you of those old times. Sometimes you wished your memories were gone, so you would not care for the man who had turned against everyone. 

Bakura glanced back at you, before his eyes shifted back to Marik. "I don't care," he spat acidically at Marik. "You can surrender your millennium item, and the girl, then you may pass." 

When he had mentioned you, your jaw could have dropped then and there. Though you knew it was likely for revenge, you could not help but feel a sense of warmth as he would save you from this man. You would rather if anyone was keeping you captive, it was someone you could maybe, just maybe get through to. 

"We could help each other, for I am a collector of sorts," Marik reasoned. "And I also know where several millennium items are, including the millennium necklace that my sister possesses. Once I get what I desire, the millennium rod will be of no use for me." 

"Perhaps there is a way that we can work together," Bakura mused out in his deep voice, a smirk appearing upon his lips. 

"Well, now that you two are so cute together, I'll just be going," you murmured out quietly before beginning to bolt, only to be grabbed by the surprisingly strong hand of Marik. 

"What do I need to do for you in order to receive the millennium items and the girl, Marik?" Bakura asked, regaining Marik's attention. Marik seemed to squeeze tighter upon your arm, likely leaving a bruise. Your mouth emitted a pained noise, like nothing that had come out of your mouth before, and Bakura's attention turned into more of a rage, quickly hidden by a facade. You would have fought Marik's grip, but you knew it would simply get worse, and were stuck simply listening to the two evil men. 

"It's quite simple, actually," Marik replied with a smirk. You could see the contortions of Bakura's face as Marik held your arm, clearly growing anger towards the pain you were feeling, though if it were the other way around he would have done the same. You would not willingly stand with either, and your love lied only with your husband. Everything had seemed to grow more complicated as time passes, and you were not sure how you would even escape this new spot. Nevertheless, you would be as docile as can be while placed in this situation, unknowing to the dangers either could inflict. 

"Alright, I'm listening," Bakura replied, clearly growing impatient. You could not help but chuckle at his impatience, despite the situation. Though he may have turned evil, that was still your best friend, short temper and all. At your chuckle, Bakura's gaze softened for merely a moment, before growing hard again, shifting back to Marik. 

"Well, first, answer me this…" Marik said, continuing with, "How strong are your dueling skills?" 

"They're extremely strong," Bakura boasted, causing you to laugh more. Your laughter earned a glare from Bakura and a tighter grip from Marik. 

"If they were extremely strong, my Pharaoh must truly be a god," you sneered. 

"A great deal has changed since then, Y/N," Bakura said, his smirk growing. 

"Excellent," Marik praised. 

Bakura continued on, saying, "You should know, I've dueled in several shadow games throughout history." 

You just simply rolled your eyes by this point, before glaring at the man. Bakura was almost teasing at this point when he said, "Surprised?"

"I'm not," Marik replied confidently. "It all makes sense now." 

"I've returned for the sole purpose of obtaining the eight millennium items," Bakura continued, "and the power they possess." He took another glance at you, before his eyes fixed upon Marik. "Now I'll ask you once again, what do you want from me?" 

"I'm going to need you to duel on my behalf," Marik answered, "Then I'll deliver the items to you."

"I'll duel whomever you want me to, provided I receive my payment once I'm done," Bakura replied darkly, before his eyes drifted to you once more. "But tell me just what is it you expect to gain from this battle I duel for you, Marik?" 

"I told you," Marik said, "I'm a collector like you. Win me the cards I want, and the items are yours."

"Oh, come on, no matter how much you hate me, Bakura, you can't be this dumb," you muttered out darkly, your y/e/c eyes trailing over to your old friend in his host body. 

"Quiet, you," Marik spat, using his free hand to slap you hard, a red mark clear upon your face. Tears threatened to fall from your eyes as you recoiled. 

Bakura spoke up once more, his tone quite threatening to your own surprise. "I will receive her now, though," Bakura spoke up, glancing into your now tearful eyes. You could only stare as you were handed over like you were a common slave, practically thrown into Bakura's arms. 

All you could think the entire time was that you wanted to see your husband. As you kept picturing his deep lilac eyes, you could feel more tears slip from your eyes. "You know I won't lay a hand upon you, Y/N," he murmured softly, his hands holding you a great deal gentler than Marik had been. "You should be thanking me for your safety." 

Despite yourself, you nodded in subservience. In his hands, you were safe - for now - which easily was a positive, though you knew you and your friends were clearly in danger. 

"You cannot truly have her back yet," Marik spoke next, gaining both of your attention. "She is necessary for the plan." 

This caused your heart to tighten, and Bakura to glare at Marik before glancing down at your tearful eyes. For a moment, those deep brown eyes debated simply setting you free for the time being, though it would not benefit him to go against Marik. The man may have been evil, but you were always his soft spot that he mourned. As Marik began explaining the plan, you felt a shiver trail up your spine, and felt as if in that moment you had betrayed all of them, including your love. 


	22. XXII

"Now, remember, dear Y/N, play along and no one gets sent to the shadow realm quite yet," Marik warned harshly, the three of you standing not quite far away from where you could see your friends. You were no longer bound, but you were bound by the danger that was to come if you did not listen, so you simply nodded. 

Admittedly, you had felt even worse being bound this way, as you were betraying your friends. You were doing it to make sure that no one would get hurt - so that no one would lose their soul - and yet, you still felt wrong. All of this felt so wrong, and you just wanted to get back to your husband. If you were strong enough, you would have been able to fight off Marik - you would have been able to capture Marik and end all of this where you stood. If you were strong enough, you could have used your Millennium Rose to send him to the shadow realm, and yet, you knew if you tried that you would have failed. The millennium rose was meant to keep you alive, to curse you, and to make you useful. If you were to use it to send anyone to the shadow realm, you may end up risking your own safety as well as the safety of the world. 

Though you had unfortunately been forced to agree to this wicked plan of Marik’s, which Bakura even seemed a little bit iffy about, you were not sure how you could truly keep your face straight for this. There was no doubt that you were terrified, and you cared about everyone who was in view as the people you had gotten close to came closer and closer in sight. Within minutes, your friends would be captured by the evil that you swore together to destroy, and yet, you were the one that was guiding them into the lion's den. Initially, they had not noticed any of you, and you wanted to keep it that way, but Marik’s harsh eyes filled your mind.

You wondered, as you spent more and more terrorous time with Marik, if this had been what Shadi had warned you. Maybe it was known that you would be roped into this as a captive, and they worried that you would join the side of Marik. It was almost a silly thought, if Shadi had truly meant this. As you were terrified for your friends, you cared for them much too much to actually turn against them. You loved your Pharaoh - your husband - far too much to turn against him. Even after 5,000 years, you knew where you belonged.

Bakura lay limply against your shoulder, with Marik's help, as the three of you scurried over to Joey, Tea, and Solomon Moto. "What happened?" You could already hear Tea saying, and you felt a few tears pass from your eyes. The tears, of course, were not for Bakura - they were from the fact that you were leading your friends into a trap.

“Good, Y/N, crying makes it even better,” Marik whispered darkly, before he turned on the light, gentle side of his visage to the group that he was attempting to fool. Bakura had genuinely been laying limp, though, as his host body was knocked out cold. It was all part of the plan, and he was to leave you alone with Marik and the others, despite one person who would go with him. It simply horrified you that someone would be going with Bakura, and yet, you feared for them all.

"Y/N and I found him lying like this," Marik spoke in an innocent, and feigned concerned tone, "He needs a hospital."

You watched as the group fussed over his limp body before Solomon hailed a taxi. “I’ll go with him while you guys find Yugi,” Solomon said in a kind tone that broke your heart. You hated this, and each time you thought to rebel against the whole situation, you were once again stuck. Part of you wanted to go with Solomon to make sure that he was not hurt by Bakura, but you knew you had to stick to Marik’s plan. According to him, you were needed with him.

When the two of them were gone, you knew the rare hunters were coming soon. You wanted to speak out, or even scream, but Marik's cruel eyes had met yours, causing you to falter. He introduced himself as Namu, an inexperienced duelist - someone that they could look to as a friend. Neither Joey nor Tea knew what Marik looked like, and you could slowly see the rare hunters closing in on all of you. Namu was asking about dueling tips from Joey, because he knew for a fact that it would get them to stop while the group was grabbed.

Marik acted as if he were panicking in the situation, pretending to still be the good guy. You had obviously known differently, and yet, here you were. If you opened your mouth, he had already threatened to send every one of your friends to the shadow realm. Unfortunately them being simply captured would be a much more desirable outcome than their souls taken, and you kept your mouth shut, acting the part as you felt the rare hunters begin to grab you. Marik, acting as Namu, acted as if he was trying to save you, and you could have face palmed at the stupidity of the whole situation.

Before you knew it, everything had gone black, and you could feel the guilt already spiralling over you as you knew that your friends would all be trapped with you. What did cross your mind before you had fully blacked out was that maybe you would be able to help everyone escape from the inside, though you were part of the reason they were trapped in the first place. Would Marik even overlook the idea of placing all of you together, or would he know that if all of you were together you would be able to escape his grasp? 


	23. XXIII

You cursed yourself for waking up staring at deep lilac eyes, simply because those eyes belonged to the smirking Marik. His face was so close to you that you could feel his hot breath, and it made you shiver with discomfort, even fear. What you would give to see Atem once more was immeasurable as you heard the man's voice purred out to you. "How lovely it is for you to join us, Y/N," he said.

"What's the meaning of this, you tattooed face freak a nature?" Joey was ranting out, not far from you as he spoke to one of the rare hunters, throwing out insults here and there. With the darkness of the room, likely because Marik did not wish for any of the others to see his face, you were barely able to make out the man that he was calling a tattooed freak of nature. His face was hooded, though it was likely that Joey had a better view than you had of the man, since he stood so close to the chair that Joey was tied up in. 

Your focus was hard to take off of the man who stood in front of you, nor could you really move yourself to see much more with Marik so close to your own face. You had even felt violated by his breath upon your face, causing your lips to purse in aggravation. "For your little partnership, I'm pretty sure you and I both know you can't do anything to me," you said quietly, your face stern as you spoke. "He would want me in one piece, after all."

"And who says I'm actually holding up that part of the bargain?" He said with a dark chuckle.

"You better, or you'll regret betraying the Thief King," you said, attempting to intimidate him. "That man may just love me more than my husband, and he's much more cruel - even vengeful." You let your lips curl into a smirk as you said the words, hoping to place a fear within Marik. Though it was likely that you were not much safer with the Thief King than this Marik, if you were to play them against one another, just maybe you would be able to rattle everything from the inside.

You barely heard it, but as you did, you could hear the horrible noise of Joey being taken over by mind control. Unintentionally, your eyes widened, and Marik's smirk seemed to grow. "You'll be able to watch in horror as the Pharaoh's power becomes my own, dear Y/N, and you will have no choice but to rule on my side."

"In," you started, punctuating each word as you spoke. "Your. Dreams. Boy." You felt as your lips curled into a larger smirk yourself. "If you think you'll overpower 5,000 years of experience and knowledge, and corrupt me into ruling with such an undeserving Pharaoh, you've got another thing coming. Bakura would even be better off succeeding than you."

"You seem to care a great deal for both Bakura and your Pharaoh," he mused out, his smirk widening despite your words. "And somehow you act as if I'm at the disadvantage. You are my prisoner, Y/N, and after you watch the downfall of the two that you care most for, you will be on the winning side. My. Side."

"Why haven't you just used your stupid little ability on me, anyways?" You said, cocking your head to the side in curiosity. "You've taken Joey's mind captive, and yet you leave me to my own thoughts. You try to simply sway my mind." You smirked gently after you had allowed it to previously falter at his words. "You cannot take my mind captive, can you, Marik?"

His lips down turned into a grimace, before he stood up straight once more. "Your millennium item is fully attached to your body, and prevents me taking it off or controlling your mind," he said acidically. "But I will be controlling all of your friends."

You thought about spitting directly in the man’s face, his words causing anger to grow inside of you. Though you were unable to send the man to the shadow realm, you could at least cause him some discomfort paired with disrespect, and yet - you remembered the bruise that had already formed upon your cheek. If you were to disrespect this man, it was likely that you would incur more if his wrath. Though he had not looked like it, he was a force to be reckoned with, and it did fill you with terror.

The way that he continued to tease you, and pushed for you to rule with him, caused you a great deal of anger, though. “Why do you want me of all people to rule with you?” you questioned with an eyebrow raised, trying to hide your anger, though you would be able to read the acidity of your words falling off of your own lips.

“The great and powerful Y/N,” he said with a smirk. “You are a tomb keepers legend - and on top of that, the Pharaoh that I was forced to worship as a tomb keeper would have to kneel to me and the one person he loved the most.” He began laughing with sinister undertones, causing you to shiver. “What a lovely plan! With you as a willing Queen to the Pharaoh of the new world, we could have it all.”

You recoiled uncomfortably, seeing the madness that was consuming the man in front of you. Though he was not nearly as old as you, he did hold a great deal of his anger within him, and it had driven him crazy. Admittedly, a very small part of you could feel bad for the man if he was not planning on harming your friends, and your face softened, only to place your visage up once more. There was no way that you would go against the man you waited thousands of years for, nor would you turn against those who had been so kind to you.

  
  
  



	24. XXIV

"Everything is in place," Marik started, " and Kaiba and little Yugi should be arriving any moment with the hopeless plan of rescuing you three." You watched as his smirk came back in full force as he continued. "However, with those two as my mind slaves, and you too scared of what I'll do to your precious friends, they'll have no choice but to play by my rules. Their egyptian god cards and Yugi's puzzle will be mine for the taking." He pulled your chain like a dog as the four of you continued to walk, making you stumble as he spoke. "And soon I'll rule the whole world, with Queen Y/N at my side." He glanced back at the three of you. "Isn't that right, my friends?"

"I already told you, Marik," you muttered out acidically. "In. Your. Dreams." 

He laughed sinesterly as he pulled you along, the other two mindlessly walking by your side. "Y/N, your friends are so quiet, almost as if they don't have minds of their own." 

"I wonder why," you murmured out bored. You realized after a while that he had been feeding off of your defiance, and slowly stopped fighting him as much, though your one touchy subject was ruling with him. 

"Master Marik," you heard Odion run up beside Marik, and watched as he kneeled by his side. "I beg your pardon." 

"What now?" Marik asked in aggravation. 

"As you requested, sir, I've secured 12 locator cards for the battle city finals," Odion said, holding up the locator cards in his hand. 

"Excellent, Odion," he praised, glancing back at the man. "You've done well. Now we both qualify to participate in the finals if we need to. Hopefully that won't be required, in which case, you've wasted a great deal of time, but hand them over anyway. Entering the finals may be necessary if today's plan fails." 

"It's a privilege to serve you," Odion said, handing the cards to Marik whom took them with the hand that was not holding your chain.

"I always have a backup plan to ensure I get what I want," he said confidently. "But today's setup seems foolproof. Now hand my servant the deck we've prepared for him, Odion."

"Yes, Master," Odion replied.

"When Yugi is forced to battle against his brainwashed best friend, he's sure to lose it all," Marik said. "Ha, ha, ha!" 

"Replacing his pathetic deck with an unstoppable assortment of extremely rare magic cards was an excellent idea, Master Marik," Odion praised, causing you to roll your eyes.

Marik began chuckling, saying, "This is my most ingenious scheme yet! I took the things that mean the most to Yugi- his friends, and the Pharaoh's wife."

"Brilliant plan, Master," Odion continued. 

"So brilliant an evil monkey could come up with it," you murmured out with a chuckle. "You're too predictable, and your plan will fail."

Marik ignored you, still talking to Odion as he said, "I know, now come and find me Yugi for the last duel you will ever fight!" 

"Even I could wipe the floor with you, Marik," you said with a groan, causing him to snap a glare over at you. "Oh, wait, was I supposed to say all hail Master Marik?" You smirked as you teased him, seeing the unsettling look that he was giving you., causing you to recoil in fear that if you continued to talk he would end up hurting you again. He did not trust to keep you out of restraints, or out of his sight, and you had realized that with how much he had forced you to follow his every action - every move he had made. 

Above the group, you could see the Kaiba Corp chopper landing in front of Joey. By this point, Marik had taken you onto a boat close by, standing on the front of the boat itself as you had to watch the whole scene in horror. “If you scream, I will harm your little friends,” he purred out into your ear, causing you to shiver. His hand held the millennium rod tightly as he begun talking through your friends. You could barely even hear what everyone was saying, despite Marik whom was standing close to you. He spoke for Joey, challenging Yami to a duel.

The conversation had gone on longer than you even thought it possibly could have, as it had taken them a few to realize that this was one of Marik’s tricks. You knew a great deal more about the millennium items than any of them - despite Marik and Bakura. With Bakura’s memory, and Marik’s tomb keeper knowledge, the three of you had known the most. Ishizu likely knew more about all of it as well, though you had not seen her since the museum with your husband.

Finally, he had switched his speech from Joey to Tea, and you knew that his terrifying plan was coming into place. He also spoke of how Tèa was also under Marik's influence. Part of you, admittedly, was impressed with how well a mere mortal would be able to use the magic of the millennium rod, though you shook the thought quickly from your mind as you tried to focus upon what Marik was saying to your dear Pharaoh. You wished there was a way that you could get a message to your Pharaoh, your husband, to tell him that you were held captive. 

What had truly gotten to you was when you could hear Marik say, "Your dear wife, Y/N, does not even need to be under my control to be on my side. She will be keeping me company during your duel." He laughed manically and placed a finger under your chin, giving you a creepy smirk that made you shiver, before he turned back to what he was doing. 

As you listened to Marik explain the stakes further, you could feel tears slipping from your eyes. What he had not realized was as he spoke was that his words went through Tea as well as he had said, "Darling Y/N, don't you dare cry for your friends. When they're out of the way, and I have your husband's power, all shall be ours." 

He cupped your chin as you cried, his smirk terrifying you. This whole situation was dire, and you were stuck with a chain around your neck. Marik moved to a seat, pulling you onto his lap with the chain around your neck and you practically squeaked, feeling the breath of him so close to you once again, fear coursing through you. He was clearly battling the Pharaoh as he chuckled, saying, "Looks like Yugi's starting to panic already after getting a taste of my powerful deck. Enhanced with cards gathered by my rare hunters, Joey's deck is virtually unbeatable. Yugi will be out of my way shortly, leaving behind his puzzle and his egyptian god card." 

You grimaced at his words, and also the fact that you could feel his grip tighten upon your sides. 

"Pardon me, Master Marik, but I've just learned that Joey's sister has arrived in battle city," Odion informed Marik, making your eyes widen.

"Did you say his sister?" Marik asked sternly. 

"Yes, Master," Odion replied. 

"This sister may prove to be an excellent pawn in my game, Odion," he replied. 

"Don't you dare touch her, Marik," you spat out, trying to get up, but he pulled you right back down. 

"Bring the girl to me immediately," Marik ordered, before his voice lowered, whispering in the shell of your ear, "and don't you dare speak against me, Y/N, otherwise your loving husband will be dragged down to the bottom of the sea even faster." 

As time went on, the boat that Marik and you had been traveling on was docked, and the two of you were still on top of it. He stood once again, his hands gripping the railing of the boat as he controlled the battle. What had come to a surprise was when he started saying, "What? No! I want the Pharaoh. Not this little runt." He spoke through gritted teeth, and you began to realize what angle they were going for. At least your friends may actually end up safe, though you were not sure what it meant for you. "I want to defeat the ancient ruler." He gripped tighter, his face clearly agitated as he spoke. "That spineless coward! He sent little Yugi to protect himself. You cheat! I want to destroy the Pharaoh!" 

You rolled your eyes, saying, "You can temper-tantrum about it all you want, Marik," with a slight chuckle. Unfortunately Marik had eventually taken this as an advantage, and you had been dragged with him whenever he decided to go on the ship. It felt as if you were his puppy, being pulled each and every direction by this ruthless man. Cursing yourself, you felt like such an idiot for being so helpless at his power.

The evil man honestly seemed to enjoy your company, much to your own disdain. He ignored each and every hot tempered comment that you had made towards him during the battle, and had shockingly poured you both drinks, though he forced you to sit upon his lap. It was obvious that he was trying to win you over, and you were not going to fall for it, though you would not be able to survive this if you did not willingly take the water. It had been poured in front of you, after all, and with his whole talk about you ruling with him, it was not like he was going to poison you.

*** 

As Marik was yelling about Joey going out of his control for a moment, you took the opportunity to steal the Millennium Rod from his hands, quickly using it to try to get through to Joey. You had told him telepathically, “Joey, you need to snap out of this. Save Yugi and yourself, and defeat Marik. He won’t let me go, please- save yourselves. Think of your sister, your friends.” Before you could say anything more to him telepathically, Marik had taken the rod back.

“What did you do?” he screamed at you, before slapping you to the floor, roughly punishing you. He had never expected you to grab the rod, nor be able to use the rod to get through to Joey. In fact, you had gotten through to Joey, and Marik was fuming. You had fumbled his plan and gone against him. Pain radiated through your body as he had taken out his anger upon you.

“You will be subservient to me, Y/N,” he spat out like acid as he continued, and you knew that his control upon Joey was gone. You sighed in relief, despite the pain that was administered to you. There was no doubt that he could have killed you in that room, but with his larger plans, he had not. Despite his need to keep you alive, he did manage to harm you a great deal. 

During Yugi and Joey’s battle, time was running out. Yugi knew that he needed to do something, and with Joey and Yugi both in control of the outcome, they were still in a dire situation. If no one had done anything, the keys would be locked in their respective boxes, and they would both plunge to the ocean floor. If someone won, then a key would be revealed, and someone would have the opportunity to survive.

"If I lose, you're safe," Yugi assured Joey, tears forming in his eyes. 

"I can't letcha do dis Yuge," Joey replied in his brooklyn accent. His voice was desperate, and tears were forming in both boys eyes as they stared at the imminent horror. Even Seto Kaiba looked terrified at the whole situation in front of them, and he had acted against the rare hunter that held the operation of the crane above Tea. He used his Blue Eyes White Dragon card to get the man to drop the control from his hand, with just enough time to actually kick the man. An autopilot Kaiba Corp chopper had taken care of the impending demise of Tea, before the group ran over to free her from the chair she was strapped into. Now it was all up to Yugi and Joey to set themselves free. 

Yugi continued to cry as he said, "Its my decision. So, now…"

"No, Yuge!" Joey shouted in desperation. 

"Take care of my puzzle, and save Y/N," he said with tears still dripping like waterfalls down his face. "I know the Pharaoh and her will be able to fulfill destiny with your help." His voice rose as he continued with, "Now it's time! Refpanal, direct your attack towards me!" 

The card did as it was told, directing right towards Yugi as the others stared in horror. Joey screamed out, "Yugi!" as he watched the attack consume Yugi's side of the field, his life points dropped to zero. 

The others screamed, "Yugi!" despite Kaiba who stared in horror as they all watched Yugi collapse forward. 

Joey's key box opened, and as it did, he realized he could not just simply save himself - he needed to save Yugi as well. Yugi weakly said, "Joey, free yourself now. You've only got 30 seconds to make it out, then the anchor falls. You have to unlock your chains now. Come on, Joey, hurry! Before the anchor falls and pulls you under." 

"Forget it!" Joey said with tears in his eyes. "There's no way I'm letting my best friend become shark bait. We're in this together, Yuge, and there's no way I'm letting ya take the fall. We're gonna make it out of this." He sighed morosely, continuing. "Oh! Don't give up, Yugi! I'll think of something!" 

Joey told Red Eyes Black Dragon to attack, causing his life points to deplete as well, before he used the chain to reach the other side to free Yugi. As the time was running out, the anchor fell, both of them being dragged down. Yugi was the first one to be unlocked by Joey, and he resurfaced quickly with Tristan's help. Serenity took the key for Joey and dove down to save her brother, resurfacing merely over a minute later. 

"Joey, hey!" Yugi said enthusiastically. 

"Yugi!" Joey replied happily. 

After a while of getting everyone out of the water, Kaiba leaving, and everyone calmed down, Joey had apologized to Yugi for the way things had gone. They had a large friendship moment together, and a huge brother and sister moment between Joey and Serenity. 

"I'm glad we're all together, guys," Yugi said, before realization finally hit. 

"Where's Y/N?" Yami asked in Yugi's head, somewhat desperately. They had all realized in that moment that you were not there, that you were not safe. Yugi’s face contorted in a rare horror that he had not often worn. 

Eyes turned over to Seto Kaiba as he had said, “Y/N’s duel disk is reading as she is on the way to the qualification finals.”

There was the initial thought that you may have actually genuinely betrayed them, but Yami was certain that there was no way that you would do that. There was no way that you would wait so long for him, and then just join the other side. Everyone knew what must be done, and Seto Kaiba left with Mokuba, saying that they would see the group at the finals, while the group relished in the fact that they were all together.

Yami could not help but worry for you, and wonder why Marik would want you. With the finals to come, he would be sure that they would prevail and return you back to his side. His fists clenched tightly, knowing that they must fulfill destiny and return his Queen safely back to his arms. Yugi nodded to him confidently, and in the morning they would be on their way to save the world.


	25. XXV

"Look at that fool standing there," Marik murmured out as you sat beside him, "Soon to be a pawn in his own pathetic game." 

"That's right, Marik," Odion said in praise, while you sat silently. Your lips were pursed to prevent yourself from speaking out against the man who had a tight grip upon your hand as you sat. Though you were not sure what direction everything would be going, for now you felt your dueling hand bruising at his touch. 

"Listen closely," Marik continued, "The time has come to put the final part of my plan into motion and I'll need both of your help." Both of you nodded silently, though your mind screamed for a way out - to see your husband, to get away from Marik. "This is it. The Battle City Finals are about to begin, and everything that I need to gain infinite power will be in one place. All we have to do now is win, and then Y/N will be my Queen." 

You stopped yourself from cringing in disgust, though you did wish it. Instead you nodded once more, before flickering your y/e/c eyes to the floor. Staring intently, as if the floor below you would let up and move, you tried to block out Marik. Unfortunately his droning on had killed your concentration, his voice entering your ears as loudly as before. 

"For five thousand years the world has waited for the ancient Pharaoh to return," he spoke further. "As the scriptures state, he will use his boundless power to rescue the world from evil as he did before, wielding the strength of the Egyptian Gods. His spirit shall emerge from within the chambers of the Millennium Puzzle to rule mankind once again. Well, I shall fulfill that prophecy, by seizing the Millennium Puzzle and draining the Pharaoh's power." 

You swallowed hard as you continued listening to the rantings of a madman. Why he could not just get to the point was beyond your comprehension, but you knew better than to speak out against him by this point. 

"As you know, Odion, the puzzle isn't all you need," he continued, ignoring your uncomfortable shifting despite tightening his grip upon your hand. "According to the ancient scriptures, in order to possess the Pharaoh's power, one must also hold all three Egyptian God Cards. Once I accomplish this task, I will be Pharaoh...and the former ruler will wander the shadow realm for eternity!" 

You visibly grimaced at his words, though you had attempted so hard to block them out. 

"This is where I need your help, Odion," he said, not bothering to glance back at the man as he spoke. "I must hide my identity. Everyone shall think you are me. As for myself, those fools already believe me to be a friend named Namu. I'll gain their trust and crush them with the Winged Dragon of Ra. This is where you come in, my Queen. You must keep your mouth shut and play along, never referring to me as anything but Namu. The feared look in your eyes needs to stop, otherwise your friends will be in danger of their mortal lives." 

"You already plan to hurt them all," you said defiantly. "What do you think you have over me, Marik?" 

You could not say anything else, as Marik had dragged you quickly out of the stadium through a back entrance, his hand still firm upon your own, bruising it more. He gave you a sharp look, before using his other hand to grasp your face roughly, leaning in so you could feel his breath upon your own lips. As you tried to struggle, you could feel yourself bruising up from the added pressure. "You will do as I say, my Queen, otherwise your world will crash down upon you," he warned sharply, his cold lilac eyes digging into your very soul. 

You let out a distressed whimper, though you begrudgingly agreed to the man. He roughly placed his own lips upon your own in a lip bruising kiss, pulling you close to him, despite your every effort to get out of his grasp. As he kissed you, you could feel hot tears trailing down your face. He did not remove his lips for at least a minute, and smirked sinisterly when the two of you separated. "You'll be enjoying that soon enough," he said with amusement laced in his tone. "Now clean your tears off, my Queen. Your acting role is about to begin." 

He had sent you in first, telling you that you must stride confidently into the Battle City arena, not telling your friends or husband about his identity. The cover story was that you had gotten away from Odion, who was posing as Marik. His warning eyes still made you internally shudder, but you nodded solemnly, taking in a shaky breath. 

As you walked into the stadium, your y/h/c hair billowed in the wind, and all eyes were upon you. Though you did adorn some bruising, with Marik's plan to be the friend Namu, you would have to play them off. After all, you did not actually mind Odion as much as Marik, as Marik had stripped your dignity from you. He made you feel dirty overall, and it was hard for you to keep your confident visage. 

When the shadows had passed, you stepped into the light, and were almost caught off balance from Tea tackling you into a hug. "Y/N!" She said happily. "You're safe, and you made it to the Battle City Finals!" You reciprocated the hug, though you did not want anyone touching you at the moment. It all made you want to coil away. 

"Y-yeah!" You said shakily once she let go of you. "I'm so sorry for worrying all of you. I escaped and got my last two battles in." 

The group met the feigned Namu next, followed by Bakura. With both Marik and Bakura in the same room as you, you felt like shifting into a ball and running as far away as you possibly could. Marik and Bakura both shot you a warning glare, causing you to feign a large smile and greet each of them kindly. When Odion had stepped into the arena, apparently Marik had used the Millennium Rod on Tea and Joey, making them think that he was the one that kidnapped them. Tristan had pushed you behind him while the group yelled at whom they all thought was Marik. 

"Y-yeah, that's the guy alright," you agreed uncomfortably, pretending to fear Odion.

"Speak of your experiences, Y/N, and I will personally yank the tongue from your mouth," Odion warned, causing you to shiver. Though you knew he was in character, the real character stood not more than a few feet away from you. 

"Now that eight of the duelists are present, it's time to announce," one of Kaiba's employees started, "Though your locator cards brought you here, this is not the site of the Battle City Finals!" 

Another began speaking, as if on que. "The actual tournament arena should be arriving here any second now, folks," he said. 

"I'm lost," Joey said. 

"Where are the finals?" Yugi asked. 

"Look, up there!" Joey said as all the lights pointed to the sky, illuminating a zeppelin, much like the one that Seto initially announced the Battle City Tournament from. "It's Kaiba's blimp!" 

The group had awed at it in all of their own ways, before being told by the employee to stand back, since everyone would be boarding shortly. They gave the orders to allow the Battle City Arena to land, and Mokuba had announced the beginning of the finals. Though the guards had initially given Serenity and Duke Devlin issues about coming without an ID, they were able to pass, everyone getting on board despite the ninth duelist. As they were about to close up and take off, the ninth had arrived. Though it was not known as to why Seto had extended an extra duelist slot for the finals, everyone was on board, the fate of the world resting in the air.


	26. XXVI

The group was enjoying the view from the windows at the bottom of the blimp, chatting or simply aweing while Seto Kaiba walked up behind Joey. “Wheeler, you call yourself a champion?” he scoffed out. “You’re here by a fluke.” He kept spatting on about Joey, while you simply rolled your eyes at the words, before taking your attention back to the view of Domino below you all. You could feel Yugi glance over at you with his young lilac eyes, and you attempted to keep the visage that you were alright. 

In actuality, you began tuning everything out around you, even as Seto Kaiba began talking to you about the Slifer the Skydragon. “Are you even listening to me, Y/N?” he said impatiently, which had cut through your stare, causing you to turn around quickly, bowing in apology.    
  


Sucking in a shaky breath, you said, “I’m sorry, Seto, just trying to get focused,” before you began playing with a strand of your hair that drifted down in front of your face. 

“Winning your Egyptian God Card will be easier than I even thought,” he laughed out, causing you to frown. 

“Don’t be so sure, Seto,” you said, allowing your lips to curl into a gentle, teasing smirk. “Though I do relish in the idea of us facing off.”

He rolled his eyes, smirking, before he walked away from you. In actuality, he did look forward to dueling against you, though both of you intended to win the duel that would take place. He wished to be the best duelist, while you knew that the fate of the world depended upon those God cards. You thoroughly hoped that if anyone were to defeat you in this tournament, it would be your Husband. Part of you was thankful that despite Marik’s torture and torment, he did not snatch up your card unwillingly.

Another part of you wondered why he had not, and you were almost driven into thought once more, before the PA system instructed everyone to go to their assigned rooms using their tournament ID. You had quickly made your way to your own, hoping to get some solitude before you would have to see Marik or Bakura again. Part of you was worried about being face to face with your own husband as well, seeing as you still felt rather dirty. Marik had forced his own lips upon yours, but you still felt so wrong. 

When the door closed, you allowed your tears to begin to stream down your face. Any dueling would not occur until the morning anyhow, so you had time to rest up and possibly rid the thoughts of your experience from your head. As you let the tears escape from your eyes, you placed on very light music and brought out your dueling deck. You were so torn up by everything that had happened in the last week that you honestly wondered exactly how you would be able to stop Marik and save everyone. 

As you were shuffling through your deck and mentally going through strategy after strategy in your mind, you could hear a faint knock on your door. It was likely, unfortunately, that whomever was knocking upon your door did not wish for anyone else to hear that they were coming to your door. Sucking in a deep breath, you went over to the door and asked, “What’s the password,” to see who it was at your door. 

When you heard a familiar chuckling on the other side of the door, you allowed your lips to curl into a light smile. “My Queen, may I see you?” you could hear Yami say from the other side of the door, causing you to blush gently. Quickly, you unlocked the door, before closing it quickly behind him to fend off either of the intruders that you did not wish to see. As soon as he had gotten to the other side of the door, his deep lilac eyes trailed your face, his lips curling into a frown. “You’ve been crying.”

“It’s been a rough week,” you said jokingly, forcing yourself not to cry once more. He brought a slender hand up to your face, gently wiping away the tears that had begun drying. Upon further examination of you, he had noticed some of the bruising that you had on you, causing him to frown more. 

“What did he do to you?” he asked in a worried tone, examining the bruises upon your face. Since he had not been in control the entire time prior, he had not gotten a careful enough look at you to notice them. 

“Please, my Pharaoh, don’t worry about me,” you said, giving him a reassuring smile. “You should be preparing for your dueling to come, since we have the fate of the world lying in the balance.” Despite yourself, you quickly pressed your lips to his own, ignoring the pain that initially coursed through them from your previous kiss. He wrapped his arms delicately around your waist as the two of you kissed, and you brought your arms around his neck to hold him tightly. “I missed you.”

He smiled sadly at you, before embracing you tighter, allowing his head to rest in the crook of your neck. “I missed you as well, Y/N, and was so worried about you,” he whispered to you softly. “He will pay for all he did to you.”

You simply hummed into the embrace, feeling tears beginning to prick your eyes once more, though you held them back. As the two of you eventually separated, you cupped his chin delicately. “Go prepare, my Pharaoh, as I know you must. Once we face the evils of the world, we may rest comfortably in one another’s arms.”

His smile started to fade, knowing that you were right about the situation. He was worried about the fate of the world as well, though he had just gotten you back earlier in the evening. What he wished to do was to lie at your side, sleeping blissfully together, or share kisses throughout the night. Yugi knew it as well as he did that he was truly worried about you, but with the impending fate of the world coming to a close, it was time to prepare and meet it all head on. The last thing you would have wanted was for Marik to win and forcibly take you as his Queen. 

“I love you,” he whispered softly, giving you a reassuring smile. 

You pulled him into another kiss, more passionate than the last, though you could still feel the pain surging through your body. He tasted so sweet to you, the rare candy that you had desired so much to taste over and over. The kiss this time had lasted until neither of you could breathe, finally allowing oxygen back into your lungs once more. A genuine smile tugged your lips as you rested your forehead against his own, whispering, “I love you as well, Atem, always.”


	27. XXVII

The night of rest that you had expected was rudely interrupted by the intercom system, saying, “Attention Duelists, the Battle City Finals are about to begin.” As you heard the intercom, you quickly gathered your deck, placing it on your duel disk before heading out to listen to the remainder of the announcement. “Mr. Kaiba requests the presence of all the finalists in the main hall.”

You quickly placed your duel disk on before meeting up with your friends to enter the main hall. Quickly you had caught up with Joey, who had been rudely crossed by Kaiba. Shortly after you had watched Seto Kaiba almost out of view, you had seen Marik, or as you were to refer to him as Namu, exit his room. His eyes first rested upon you, his cold lilac gaze piercing through you, before he greeted you both kindly. “Hello, Y/N and Joey!” he said in an innocent tone.

Forcing a smile upon your face, you walked closer to him with Joey. “Hey, Namu!”

Joey had greeted him as well, as now both of you were stopped in front of his room. “Before we begin, let me just say may the best man - or woman - win,” Namu said in a confident tone. 

“I will,” Joey said confidently in return. “And let me just say, I hope your not too disappointed when I beat ya, Namu.” 

You could not help but roll your eyes at Joey’s enthusiasm, while listening to Namu say, “Well, I admire your determination, Joey.”

“Good luck to you both,” you said with a smile, despite the inner rage that was building inside of you due to Marik. “Let’s go. I know Seto’s not a patient man.”

The three of you started walking, and Joey turned to you as you were walking down the hall. “Why do you call him by his first name anyways, Y/N?” he asked in his deep brooklyn accent, eyeing you suspiciously. “He constantly calls me a mutt.”

“He reminds me of a man from long ago, and honestly since he’s the reincarnation of him, he hasn’t fought me calling him it,” you said with a shrug.

“Your weird magic stuff always throws me for a loop,” Joey said with a laugh. 

You frowned, but nodded. “It’s all complicated, honestly,” you said softly, hoping ‘Nemu’ wasn’t listening in. “I just miss the old times, I guess. Life was simpler, and I was happy.”

When the three of you had made it into the main hall, there was an all you can eat buffet of nice food. Joey had immediately left your side to go get food, and you just stared at it as you did not feel like eating. After everything you had been through, your appetite was the last thing showing its head. Unfortunately for you, after a few moments, you had realized that ‘Namu’ was still standing beside you. 

“Go eat something before anyone starts asking questions,” you could hear him say in a lowly, whispered tone, causing you to shudder. It was true that the food looked like it was well prepared, but you grabbed very little, as you knew you would not be able to even eat what you had. You quickly found your husband, who was simply wishing Mai good luck in the finals. 

“I hope you had some good preparation time, my Pharaoh,” you whispered to him, causing his attention to turn over to you. Mai had already began walking away as you approached, and a soft smile curled up onto his lips. You felt as he gently grabbed your hand, squeezing it gently in reassurance. 

“I did, and I hope you did as well,” he said softly. “Since the fate of the world rests in our hands.”

You nodded confidently, the weariness from earlier seeming to fade as you were getting into the zone to battle. “I still have an uncomfortable feeling about multiple people in this room, but we have this,” you said confidently, before giving him a quick peck on the lips. Both of you blushed deeply, while you could hear a flair up from three men in the room. Bakura was nearly silent, but you could hear your old friend scoff at the two of you. Marik, posing as Namu, had to keep himself silent, though you could feel the daggers he was boring into the back of your head with his cold lilac eyes. Odion, who was posing as Marik, had audibly scoffed at you two. Seto Kaiba had been the other audible one, acting as if he had never seen two people kiss before with a disgusted, “Gross dweebs.”

You simply chuckled along with your Pharaoh to the disgusted remarks, though deep down there was a burning sensation inside of you. You felt a great deal of discomfort towards the upcoming duels, and you did not have an overall positive outlook with all the tension in the room. 

Within a few minutes, particularly from Joey’s whining about the wait, they began announcing how each duel would be chosen. According to the employee, each duel would be chosen at complete random based upon numbers, like a lottery. Your eyes glanced to your Pharaoh, then back to Bakura. As you stood there, you realized that you had yet to have a side conversation with your old friend. Out of the evils in the room, Bakura was the lesser of the two - not in the sense that you felt he would not succeed, but in the sense that he was less likely to cause harm. 

Thinking about everything had sent you into thought before a gentle hand on your shoulder had knocked you back to reality. As the first battle of the Battle City Finals, you had been chosen to face off against Bakura. Mentally, you cursed the whole situation, knowing that there was a great deal of bad to come your way. “Be careful,” you could hear Yami whisper to you, before you were sent off with Bakura into the elevator with Bakura and a guard. 


	28. XXVIII

Your eyes had met Bakura’s deep brown eyes and you felt like weeping right there. He may have been consumed by evil, but your friend was in more danger than you could imagine. Both of you were, after all, and you were not sure how to approach anything. Dueling off against him, all you knew was that you had to win this - you had to defeat your old friend to spite Marik’s plans. His brown eyes stared into your very soul, and for a moment they had softened as they stared at you. Before either of you could say anything to one another, you were directed to the sides that you would be dueling on. 

As the platform raised, you could feel your breath hitch in your throat, your eyes staring directly at Bakura. He smirked back at you, playfully saying, “Dearest Y/N, what a pleasure to defeat you from the start.”

“The duel hasn’t even started yet, old friend,” you replied with a glare, toughening your stance. 

Seto Kaiba had given a short speech about the altitude being a factor in the duels, before announcing the beginning of the duel. You could hear from the sidelines your Pharaoh say, “That is the spirit of the millennium ring!” It caused you to grimace a bit, though you had already known the truth from the beginning. 

“He makes it rather obvious,” you said with a soft laugh, before Bakura had set down a weak ghost type monster on his side of the field. You started off small with a card face down in defense paired with a card face down before ending your turn. Since Bakura’s monster was weak and in attack mode, you knew there was a likeliness that he wanted you to destroy it. “Did you think I would fall for your little trap, Bakura?”

He rolled his eyes at you before bringing out another weak card in attack mode, leaving himself wide open for his monsters and life points to be taken. “You did choose the Pharaoh, so just maybe you learned something in 5,000 years,” he retorted back with a smirk. 

“After all this time,” you said, taking your turn and wiping out one of his monsters, “It truly disappoints me.” You allowed a frown to cross your face as you watched him take his turn. “You would rather watch me die and the world destroyed than simply be happy for me.”

Since you could not allow the duel to simply go stagnant, and knew that you could not lose against him, you had attacked his monsters, falling into the trap he placed. His life points had reached 450 before he brought out a being that was admittedly quite strong, looking as if he was going to change the whole duel around. As he took your life points, they added on his side, and the duel kept going back and forth for a while. 

After your 12th turn, Bakura had finally spoken up again. “You know, Y/N, I would never watch you die,” he clarified from your earlier comment. “I never would cause you harm.”

“Yet you stood idly by,” you retorted fiercely. “You know what I mean, and you allowed it!”

“You will be mine soon,” he said, “And no harm will befall you.”

You rolled your eyes at his statement, before bringing out Slifer the Skydragon. He was face to face with an Egyptian God Card, and you could tell that he was visibly shaken. “I will always be my Pharaoh’s, Bakura,” you spat out. “No matter how much any of you try, my heart was made up over 5,000 years ago. You may have felt betrayed, and I give you every right to seek revenge upon me. Leave the world alone, and leave my friends alone.” 

Before you could attack with your Egyptian God Card, you felt a presence with your Millennium Rose and froze in place. Something was trying to affect your millennium item, and as it did, you were brought to your knees. “Y/N,” you could hear Bakura choke out, his normal tough visage faded as he stared at your pain. There was plenty of yelling from the sidelines as well, but after a moment, you could tell who was holding the cards once more. 

“You may not want to use Slifer to attack, Y/N,” Odion, posing as Marik warned harshly. “I control Bakura with my Millennium Rod, and I can bring out the host body, whom is still badly injured.”

Your lips curled into a frown as you glanced at Odion, and over to the real Marik. “Do not give up your control, Bakura,” you warned him harshly, the pain in your body is still very real, causing you to ache. In actuality, you were in no position to be dueling, and yet there you were. Something - whatever he had done with his millennium rod - had caused the pain to come back as if each bruise had just come about. 

For a few moments, Ryou had been in control, begging for someone to help him. You could not help but frown, knowing that if you had made your move, you would likely hurt the boy more than he already was. You needed Bakura back on the front lines, and you knew that with every fiber of your being. Marik was running the show, and you were all screwed. 

Bakura was not willing to give up his host body so easily, risking his health, and returned to the body. He began chuckling with sinister undertones, and you could not help the gentle smile that graced your face. “Attack me, Y/N,” he said confidently. “Attack me with your Egyptian God.”

“I do wish your path did not stray, my friend,” you said with a frown, before ordering Slifer the Skydragon to attack his life points directly, causing him to collapse. You were sure that he was still in control, despite him being passed out, and you ran over to him after you were announced as the winner. Though you were still in great pain, you had ran over to help him up, but not before grabbing the Millennium Ring and stashing it on your person. As you knew, Marik would be after the Millennium Ring, you could not let it fall into his hands quite yet. 


	29. XXIX

With the host body of the Millennium Ring, Ryou, somewhat conscious, he was hoisted upon Tristan’s back. He had carried him piggyback style down to his room and allowed him to lay down in his bed. Everyone was talking about how Seto Kaiba had needed to land the blimp to get Ryou to a hospital, and yet, you wondered if Seto even really would do such a thing. As they talked, they all had seemed adamant about getting him to land, though you kept quiet and nodded along. 

It was not that you did not care for the poor host body that Bakura had, as any life was precious and worth saving. All skepticism turned to Seto Kaiba, who was in the middle of his Battle City Finals. It was likely, knowing the fact that he was adamant to get the Egyptian God Cards that he would not be making any pit stops with the large blimp until the conclusion of the You had offered to stay with Bakura to watch over him while the others were going to go talk to Seto Kaiba about Ryou. 

Making sure that you had locked the door once they had left, you sucked in a shaky breath. Pulling the Millennium Ring out of the spot that you had hid it, you stared at it for a moment, picturing your old friend. Evil or not, or even as insanely jealous he was of the love of your life, you still cared for the man deeply. He was your best friend, and at one point, all you had was one another. Even though you knew that you had been the one to leave him alone, you still cared about him. You did not wish to leave him, but you would not have chosen him over the boy you fell in love with, either. 

Gently, you slipped the Millennium Ring onto Ryou’s sleeping neck. “You’re probably aggravated, as usual, but I need to talk to you,” you said sternly, biting your lip as you spoke. Staring at Bakura’s sleeping figure, you had almost gotten up, thinking that it was not going to work. 

As you saw stern brown eyes flutter open, you could feel his gaze upon you. Like clockwork, the man already had his signature smirk across his face, though he was yet to rise. “Have you finally come around to me?” he asked curiously, a bit of sarcasm laced in his tone. “Seeing as you’re alone in my room in the evening.” 

“No, I have not,” you said crossing your arms and glaring at him. It was exhausting, the banter that was now a norm between the two of you. Back when the two of you were kids, you would be able to talk about anything without expecting anything in return, and now every time you heard him speak, it was always about how you had not chosen him. “We’re both in a danger, though.” He sat up straight, leaning against the pillow behind him. Though his smirk had not left his lips, he moved a little bit to the side, patting the bed beside him. Since it would be much more comfortable than the chair you had out prior, you obliged, sitting almost close enough to feel his body heat radiating off of him. Luckily, your skin did not truly touch. 

After a moment of simply staring at you as you sat beside him, a reminiscent look in his eyes, he let out a sigh. “Let me guess,” he started, “The millennium rod user is going crazy and isn’t going to give you up to me?”

You actually gaped at his accuracy, nodding. “Uh, yeah,” you said sheepishly with an awkward laugh. “What, now you’re going to tell me that you knew he was abusing me and forcibly kissed me, oh well knowing Thief King?” Your words were laced with sarcasm, a frown prominent against your lips as you spoke. 

He leaned in closer to you, causing you to flinch as he did, but he simply examined your bruises. A furious look grew into his features before he let out an aggravated sigh so low that it sounded like a genuine growl. “I will send him to the shadow realm for this,” he said confidently in a sinister tone, his eyes almost glowing with how mad he was. 

You placed a gentle hand upon his raised fist, shaking your head. “If he even knows I spoke to you about this, old friend, we will both end up in more danger,” you said in a hushed tone. “I need you to get as far away from Marik as possible. Go to another country in the meantime if you have to. I don’t want you to be a part of this.”

“Why do you tell me this, and not your dearest Pharaoh?” he asked, genuine curiosity with a side of sarcasm thrown into his words. “I plan on taking over the world as well, and yet you’re here trying to protect me.”

You bit your lip nervously before nodding. “I know the world can be saved, and when you are the threat, I will not go easy on you, my friend,” you said sincerely. “In the meantime, though, I still care about you. A lot, Bakura. We went through a great deal together, and I do not wish harm to befall you. The Pharaoh and I are trying to stop the takeover of the world, so I cannot simply tell him to wait it out in another country. You, I can, and I would appreciate you and your host being safe.” Swallowing hard, you continued. “Would you not rather be back how it was - Egypt was so much nicer than the lives we live now.”

He shook his head, a frown upon his face. “No, Y/N, Egypt may have been nicer for you,” he said sternly. “You and Atem ruled over Egypt, while I still had to thieve to survive. With those bruises on you, you are going to get yourself killed by Marik if I simply run away.”

“I would rather take my chances and allow you to live,” you said solemnly. “My Pharaoh would understand as well. He knew what great pain it brought me to see you turn dark.”

“And who’s fault is that?” he replied with gritted teeth. 

You let out a sigh, saying, “I know, Bakura. I am not the world, though. Take that out on me, not on it.”

He simply groaned, and you could hear the others coming to check on their friend Bakura. You had to act quickly, pulling the Millennium Ring around your own neck and forcing it to become invisible before you had greeted your returning friends. Ryou was already sleeping by this point, to your relief, and likely had not heard anything that either of you were speaking of. After all, unlike Atem and Yugi’s relationship, the Thief King never really asked to be placed in front - he just took the opportunity. What you had not known, with the Millennium Ring on your own body, you could experience more than a few complications. 


	30. XXX

_ The warm Egyptian wind whisked through your hair, kissing your tanned skin as you sat upon the edge of the Nile. Beside you with a gentle hand holding your own, your husband sat beside you. Both of you were merely enjoying the sweet sunset from the view of the Nile, his guards not far from you, but far enough for you to have some peace. The two of you were adorned in your old Egyptian garbs, golden rings and off-white egyptian cotton. Everything truly looked as if you were home, right where you wanted to be. _

_ “It’s hard to believe that we made it,” you said to your husband with a soft chuckle, nuzzling your head upon his shoulder. Out of the corner of your eye, you glanced up at Atem’s sharp features, a soft smile tugging his lips upward as he felt you cuddled into him. Gently, he squeezed your hand in reassurance. _

_ “You and I both know that there’s still a long road ahead,” he replied with his deep voice in nearly a whisper. “But together, there is nothing we cannot do.” No matter what you tried, you could not fool your subconscious mind. You could not relish in triumph, relax in a homecoming, knowing that you were still on the Battle City Finals blimp. _

_ You hummed in response, curling closer to your Pharaoh, a soft blush upon your cheeks. What you did relish in was the warmth of his body paired with the Egyptian setting sun. Everything that touched your sun-baked skin felt so tranquil, though your mind raced with the impending dangers. “There’s so much I still need to tell you, Atem,” you said in a whisper. “Though, if I did tell you, we would all be in danger.” _

_ “Are we not already?” he said with a soft chuckle, glancing down at you with his deep lilac eyes. You stared up into his eyes in contemplation, though you knew it was merely a dream. As reality began to settle into this peaceful Egyptian sunset, you began to wonder exactly what you should do. It was true - everyone was in danger regardless of what words came from your mouth. You did fear for them, though. You feared for your friends, for those of old, for your husband, and for the world. Marik was truly a force to be feared, but could he really reach into your dream? Would you really feel lighter telling this dream version of your husband about what happened? _

_ Pursing your lips, you debated these ideas, before you opened your mouth to tell him everything. You explained to him how Marik was not the one who he seemed - to not trust the stranger that befriended the group. Among all of that, you explained to him about how Marik seems to be getting more and more crazy - how he abused you, sure that he would make you his queen. The one thing that was riding on your mind you had confessed as well - that Marik had tainted your lips with his own, and how you cried as he did.  _

_ Atem allowed a frown to engulf his soft lips as he listened to you, but his eyes stayed intent in the conversation as he listened. Once you were done speaking, you could feel his warm arms wrap around you, engulfing you. He placed kisses upon the top of your head as he held you, and you could feel burning tears streaming down your face. Holding you close, he whispered, “I will send that man to the shadow realm for what he has done to you. You don’t need to fear, Y/N.” _

_ “Thank you, Atem,” you said softly to him through your tears, and as you said it, you could feel the world disappearing upon you, your body waking from its slumber. The world faded slowly into light. _

***

The tears upon your cheeks were very real, still feeling the salty wetness against them as you groggily woke. One thing that seemed different, though, was the feeling of strong arms around you. With your arms free, you brought a hand up to your face to quickly wipe the salty wet substance from your face. For a moment, you were not sure whether or not to panic. In barely even a whisper, you asked, “Atem?”

“Yes,” he said gently, his breath tickling the shell of your ear as he spoke, his face buried in your hair. His words, paired with a reassuring squeeze, you were sure you knew whose arms were holding you tightly. Comfortably and still a tad bit drowsy, you cuddled into his strong, slender arms. It felt as if it had been forever since his arms were around you, especially after the whole kidnapping ordeal you dealt with. It was a wonderful change to have his arms around you once again. 

“How did you manage to get into my room?” you asked curiously, feeling him begin to stir next to you. “Not that I’m complaining, of course, but I thought everything locked weird here.” It was Kaiba Corp anyhow, with their state of the art security systems, so quite obviously everything was under lock and key. It was odd, though the surprise was in fact a wonderful one.

Instead of rising, the both of you ended up turning inward to one another, his arms still loosely holding you as you did. Now you were able to see his deep lilac eyes staring into your own lovingly, along with his slightly messy hair with the way he had been sleeping. “You left your room key when we were dealing with Bakura,” he said with a soft smile. “Tea offered to return it, but I grabbed it quickly. I wanted to see you after your duel. You were asleep, so I didn’t think you’d mind some company.”

You chuckled with a smile upon your face before you leaned in to taste his lips. Morning kisses had always been your favorite, after all. He kissed you back slowly and tenderly, his arms holding you closer as the two of you locked lips. As any of his wondrous kisses, you had been left breathless, as had he. Both of you leaned your foreheads against one another as you allowed the oxygen to return to your lungs. Once the two of you had regained your breath, you whispered, “I always welcome your company, my love.” As you said it, you could see his cheeks light up with a gentle blush, causing you to smile more.

As you had obviously forgotten, he had the ability to watch your dreams, and though he would not speak of it aloud, he knew what was going on by this point. He would tell Yugi once he switched back with him, but in the moment he was simply enjoying the warmth of your arms. If memory served him correctly, he the two of you would enjoy moments such as this back in the temple together, moments simply loving one another. He could understand why you wished for those times in Egypt once again - without the pain, and without the fate of the world upon both of your shoulders. 

Internally, he promised to bring you back to those times as soon as he could. The two of you shared a few more good morning kisses, lips moving in sync with another, even getting a little heated as the two of you lied upon your bed. His arms held you tightly, and yours did the same for him. Entangled in one another with lips connected, you both groaned in the interruption of a knock upon the door. As you had expected, others were waking around the same time as the two of you, and you wondered who could possibly be barging in so early. 


	31. XXXI

“One second,” you called out in a louder voice than you had been using with Atem prior, so the person on the other side of the door would wait instead of getting impatient with you. Your hair was, no doubt, a little messed up as you rose to a seated position. Not quite ready to get up himself, he wrapped his arms around your waist and pulled you back down into another kiss, causing you to giggle happily. After a few minutes, Yami had allowed you to get up once more, this time joining at your side. 

The two of you had walked to the door together in case there was anyone unwanted on the other side of it. He laced his fingers in with your own, and you could not help but have a light blush upon your face as he did, the two of you making it to the door to open it. Sucking in a nervous breath, you did have the worry that it could have been Marik, or even Odion. Another thought that had popped into your head, of course, was the idea that it could have been Kaiba announcing the next duels, though it seemed a little early for that after all. 

As the door revealed whom was on the other end, you could see the entire friend group on the other side of the door, causing you to blush more at the likely accusations that were going on through their heads. Duke had smirked at the two of you, and you could see Joey and Tristan laughing as they saw both of your messed up hair. 

You gave them a sheepish smile, and watched as they all basically piled into the room, reaping you of the privacy that you had with your Yami - your Atem. Atem had chuckled at their behavior as the boys began raiding your fridge, while Tea and Serenity sat down on your bed. He gave you one quick peck on the lips before allowing Yugi to take over once more, hands no longer intertwined. 

“Does anyone know when they’re announcing the next duel?” you asked curiously, getting the blonde and spiked brunette to stop what they were doing for a moment, though Duke had already sat over by Serenity, to Tristan’s dismay. 

Joey shrugged after clumsily taking something from your fridge and sitting down on one of your chairs. “Probably soon, but I think Kaiba’s having his goons serve breakfast first,” Joey said in his brooklyn accent. 

As what he said dawned upon you, you brought your hand up to your head, sighing loudly. “Then why the heck are you all raiding my fridge?”

“Ya should know I can’t turn down free food,” Joey said smugly, causing you to roll your eyes. 

You grumble quietly and allowed it, while everyone chatted about who could possibly be going next. Everyone knew what was at stake for the most part, though you, Yugi, and Yami knew the very most out of the depths of what was to come. 


	32. XXXII

Through your 5,000 years of wandering through the waking life, this was only the second time for you to be sucked into cyber space once again. Your body still held the millennium ring and your millennium rose, while your mind was trapped inside of cyber space with Seto, Mokuba, Tristan, Tèa, Serenity, Joey, Duke, and Yugi. As you fell through the virtual reality hole, your first desire was to see all of them again, especially your dear Atem. 

The cyber space felt as if it was tearing your mind apart as you fell down the hole, blue electricity surrounding you. A scream escaped your lips, though while you continued to fall, the strain upon your mind caused you to pass out, sitting in descending darkness for an unknown amount of time. Out of everything you had to accomplish during Battle City, seeing the Big 5 was not on your to do list, yet here you were. 

Waking, you first noticed that the ground was soft, and actually somewhat comfortable. As your y/e/c eyes slowly blinked open, you could hear that the ground was groaning. Eyes adjusting to the light, you realized you were not on a ground at all, and quickly moved yourself off of the white jacketed man. 

Instead of apologizing to the man, you were overjoyed as you saw Mokuba opening his eyes, initially crawling over to him. "Hey, buddy, you're alright," you said softly, stroking his long, messy hair. 

"An apology would be nice," you could hear Seto mutter out as he began to move his arm off of his brother, pushing himself up to his feet. 

You rolled your eyes, a smile tugging at your lips as you said sarcastically, "I apologize for the Big 5 making me land right on top of you, Seto. I totally asked them to do that." Reaching your arms out, you helped Mokuba to his feet, ruffling his hair as he stood. "Are you guys okay?" 

"I've been in better moods," Seto replied uncomfortably, before shifting his attention over to Mokuba, placing a careful hand upon his shoulder. "And you?" 

"I'm fine," he replied sluggishly. "I think." 

"This Noah has nothing to do with Egypt," you mused out as your eyes began glancing around the virtual world that the three of you were stuck in. "Otherwise they would have shoved me somewhere alone." 

"Why's that, genius?" Seto replied broadly, standing with Mokuba by this point as you were staring off in the virtual water. 

You allowed a smirk to cross your face, your fists tightening as you spoke. "Because I would perish for any of you to thrive," you said dismissively, before beginning to lead the group down the stream. 

"Your whole friendship motive is laughable," Seto said as he quickened his strides, making sure he was the one to lead. "If any of us lose, one of those white collars gets released into the real world." 

"If anyone even tried to use my body, they wouldn't get too far," you said with a soft chuckle. "If my mind isn't present, reacting with the millennium rose, I'm sure it'll turn to dust." 

"You're not about to sacrifice yourself," Seto replied harshly. "You still owe me a victory." 

"Who is Noah, Seto?" Mokuba finally chimed in, after you and Seto shared a knowing look between the two of you after his words. 

"I don't know," Seto replied in aggravation. "If I was to guess, it's someone who wants what's mine." 

_ I have a suggestion you don't want to hear,  _ you thought to yourself as you began to tune the Kaiba brothers out.  _ What if someone's working with that apparent step father?  _ You could not help but muse the possibility as the three of you walked, Mokuba eventually running ahead. 

When they had come upon a door, you tried to pull Mokuba back, but Seto walked ahead to open the door, both of them peering in. As they viewed the nostalgic scenery of their childhood, you could not help but sigh to yourself, watching them both with a frown. The two that reminded you of those you used to be close to slowly broke your heart each time you were around them, giving you a strong instinct to protect Mokuba, and even Seto. 

This specific scene reminded you of exactly why you should not feel this way, as these reincarnations had no recollection of you. You cared so deeply for everyone you remembered from your past, while these reincarnations made you feel so alone. Watching the two staring at their old childhood, you could not help but shed a tear, wishing that just maybe you were beside Atem, or someone who remembered still. 

"What are you crying about?" You heard the snarky tone of Seto say as he glanced back at you. 

Quickly, you wiped the shedded tear from your face, chuckling softly. "I just miss them sometimes," you muttered out absently. "I apologize that I throw that on you two." 

"I don't even know what you're talking about half the time," Seto said dismissively. 

"You two just bring me memories of your past selves," you said softly, before the door turned into their memories themselves. 

You watched as the boys relived their memories, standing uncomfortably beside them. As Seto watched his most vulnerable moments, you felt yourself being dragged to him, a hand over your eyes. "I prefer you don't see any of this," he muttered out as only darkness entered your vision through the warm hand on your face. 

"Ironically, I appreciate that," you muttered out as you allowed it, feeling yourself flush against his chest as his hand stayed against your vision. You could hear the memories flash by, and you could feel his chest tense up as he watched his younger life in front of him. 

Only once the two began fighting did you wiggle from the warm grip of Seto, moving over towards Mokuba. He was on the border of crying as he was going to open the door to the orphanage, talking about how he missed the days before, back when Seto would actually smile. As he began to open the door, you lunged forward and grabbed him, pulling him backwards into your arms. 

"This Noah really wants you two to suffer," you said through panted breaths as you held Mokuba to your chest, a shocked look upon Seto's face. 

"How did you know to catch me?" Mokuba stuttered out. 

You couldn't help but smile softly as you let go of him. "I just did," you said softly. 

_ While Atem and Priest Seto spoke of the future of the kingdom, Priest Seto did not want his little brother getting into trouble. You had taken him to the garden to play a game of hide and go seek, and as the two of you played, you would often get closer and closer to the edge of the temple walls.  _

_ At one point, you were the one to seek, and you could hear Mokuba giggling as he hid at the very edge of the wall, not realizing that he was in danger. As you heard him, your heart quickened, and you ran as silently as you could towards the spot that he was. Getting closer to him, you could hear the shift in the rocks, followed by a shrill squeak from the boy.  _

_ Running quickly, you barely were able to grab his arm in time, pulling him back upwards. The two of you collapsed upon the flat ground, panting from the adrenaline that coursed through your bodies. As you glanced back over to the boy, you said, "Hey, buddy, you're okay now," giving him a sweet smile.  _

_ "That was close," he replied softly. "Thank you, Queen Y/N."  _

_ You rolled your eyes, ruffling his hair as the two of you rose to your feet. "You know you never have to call me Queen," you replied softly. "Unless we're in front of your brother, because Seto would go crazy without the formality." _

When the three of you had finally realized you were now on a cliff instead, Seto began talking to Mokuba about how he needs to remember that the past is in the past. The words that came out of his mouth hit you hard, as all you had was your past by this point. Those that were around you were temporary, and as time progressed, you were getting closer and closer to the time that you would be back in the past once more. 


	33. XXXIII

The three of you had walked through endless amounts of the Kaiba brothers' memories, when suddenly the worst possible situation arose. Tristan's body, used by one of the Big 5, took Mokuba on a motorcycle. You had not even thought before you jumped behind Seto, grabbing onto his waist tightly as the two of you rode the motorcycle as quickly as it could go to go get Mokuba. Shockingly to you, Seto had not even complained when you jumped on to join him. 

"Get out of the road!" You heard Seto scream out, before suddenly the motorcycle was tilting sideways in a fiery stop. 

Limply, you let go of Seto's waist, prying yourself out of the smoke. It may have been out of respect, or out of sheer common decency that you saw Seto's hand outstretched for you to grab. You took it quickly, rising to your feet to be face to face with the last of the Big 5. 

"Go get Mokuba while I take care of this," Seto said quickly, his tone cold and firm. 

You were about to pass the man, when you were pushed roughly back by the Big 5 member with the southern accent. Taking a sparing glance at the creature that the Big 5 member was portraying, and back at Seto, you stood back to your feet. Sending a warning glare at the Big 5 member, you wondered what exactly you had gotten yourself into. 

"Not so fast, little missy," the Big 5 member said with a sickening sounding smirk upon each syllable that escaped his lips. "I'm challenging you and Mister Kaiba." 

"You really think he even needs my help beating your pathetic deck?" You said with a grimace, crossing your arms over your chest. 

Seto chimed in coldly, "Your grudge is with me, not her." 

"Neither of you will get Mokuba until you beat me in a duel," the man replied. "And once I win, we'll be taking both your bodies." 

You simply rolled your eyes as you chose your cards for the duel, as well as your own deck master, Y/F/C. The two of you had battled practically in sync for a while, though the man was beginning to take an advantage with his own cards. It was hard, throughout your match, not feeling sheerly useless without your Pharaoh, nor being able to rescue Mokuba. This entire virtual world was getting to you, and you occasionally would take a nervous glance over at the partner you were unable to discuss strategies with to find some sort of strength. 

That was, until you heard your group of friends show up on the other side of the gap in the road. The voice in particular that gave you strength was when you heard the familiar, velvet voice call out, "Y/N, I'm here cheering you on. We all are." 

You could not help but allow a little blush to cross your face as you heard your Pharaoh, and you took a glance over at the group with a smile crossing your face. Knowing that he was there, watching you, and cheering you on seemed to make you stronger. Though you were down to merely 1000 life points, you knew the two of you would be able to win with the backing of everyone. 

Seto Kaiba had been the one to truly win the duel, since he was the only one to have a monster that was able to reach the satellite in the end. Once the two of you had beaten Leichter, you heard him mutter his brother's name under his breath, and could not help but frown in concern. Everything got even worse as you did not even have the chance to reunite with your Pharaoh before you were running after Seto into the tunnel that was now magically before you. 

"Seto," you called out as you were running. "You know I'm going to help!" 

He did not even have the time to complain about how he was going to save Mokuba all on his own as he continued to run, you thankfully beginning to catch up with him. As the two of you were coming up on what looked like Mokuba, a large flash of light sent the two of you falling once again. 

This time, you landed face first on the ground, Seto Kaiba landing on top of you. You groaned uncomfortably as you stood up, to be face to face with Noah and Mokuba, your body aching as you could not help but allow a weak smile to stretch across your face. "Finally," you said softly. 

Mokuba would not come with Seto, though, and he would not even come to you, much to your dismay. "Mokuba, your brother loves you very much, and can't you tell I care about you, too?" You said desperately, trying to negotiate as you had seen how much Seto had failed. 

"He would rather be my brother," Noah spat back darkly, a smirk still apparent upon his face as he spoke. 

Yugi and Tea charged into the room relatively quickly afterwards, giving new information of the one who had captured everyone within the Virtual Reality realm. There was talk pointing towards Noah being Seto and Mokuba's step brother, before everything seemed to blow up elsewhere. The Big 5, in desperation, had begun attacking your friends in hopes to get enough bodies to escape the Virtual World with. 


	34. XXXIV

"There's no way we'll escape Gozoboro's monsters!" Yugi exclaimed as the group ran towards the virtual arcade, towards the one chance of freedom before total annihilation. 

You and Joey seemed to have the same plan, as you both turned almost simultaneously, facing towards the monsters with duel disks ready. "Then we won't run," you stated before Joey had the chance to cut in. "You guys go, and we'll fight." 

"No, I'm not going without you, Joey!" Serenity exclaimed in worry, her hands up in defiance. 

"Just go, sis," he replied quickly. "Tèa, help my sister find that exit." 

You felt anxiety rising as the monsters were drawing closer, knowing that the closing time for total annihilation was growing closer and closer. With just eight minutes to escape before the satellite destroyed the central computer, you worried for your friends and yourself. The fate of the world depended on you and the Pharaoh, yet if you were to perish in the virtual world, it was likely that Marik would still be able to go through with his evil plans. 

"Let's get going," Tea said to Serenity, grabbing her arm gently yet firmly. "We'll meet you over there soon. Please be careful." 

"Don't worry, Serenity," Joey said confidently, causing you to nearly face palm. "This won't take long." 

"Yeah, we'll smash 'em," Tristan added in, causing you to nearly chuckle as Serenity grabbed the robotic version of your friend. You did not doubt his abilities in an actual fight, as he had saved you the first day at Domino High, but in his monkey body, it was doubtful that he'd be of help. 

Tea's voice was firm as she spoke, her hands upon her hips. "Tristan, let's go," she said quickly, glancing down at the two. "You're better off with us." 

The girls left with Tristan, while you stood with Duke, Joey, Yugi, and Joey in front of the set of monsters. You called Dark Magician Girl out to defend, while Yugi called the Dark Magician, Joey with his Flame Swordsman. Each of you took turns defending and holding the monsters back as the group slowly retreated backwards towards the arcade for the escape. Occasionally one or the other would call out to their monsters to attack, while the five of you ended up making it back into the arcade doors, much to everyone's relief. 

Through the time that the group had been battling the monsters that would not stop coming, Noah had given specific instructions as to how to get back to be uploaded into your bodies once more. "Proceed to the stage immediately," Noah said from the intercom, and the three of you glanced around before your eyes landed upon the stage. 

"That must be it," Joey said quickly, his eyes the same direction that the rest of you had been glancing, seeing an almost DDR type stage. 

"Joey, you, Duke, and Y/N go first," Yugi said sternly in his innocent voice. "I'll be right there." 

"Alright, but you better be right behind," Joey said quickly, and Duke walked to the stage with him. 

You, on the otherhand, stood by his side with your Dark Magician Girl still out. "Yeah, I'm waiting for you," you said with an eye roll, before calling out to your monster. "Dark Magician Girl, attack!" 

"Dark Magician, attack," Yugi joined in, though his large, lilac eyes glanced over to you. 

Once Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl cleared the way, the two of you ran towards the stage. Before either of you could make it to the stage, Noah spoke on the intercom. "Y/N, wait!" He said hastily. "I have a favor to ask." 

Noah had asked something bold of you, as he escaped to the real world in Mokuba's body. You had to find Seto Kaiba, who was trapped in a battle with Gozoboro. Apparently through the Virtual Reality that Noah had seen your interaction, you were fit for the task. 

"I'll be fine," you said to the worried looking Yugi as you watched him step on the stage, and disappear in front of you. From listening to hours of the Kaiba brothers memories, you knew exactly where to find Seto Kaiba, while Yugi was given the coordinates to go get his brother's mind. Thankfully, Noah had created a shortcut for you to go get Seto Kaiba.

You ran through the shortcut door for Seto Kaiba, ending in front of Kaiba Corp headquarters. Anxiety filled you as you ran into the building, taking the elevator all the way to the top where you assumed the dueling stadium would be. While you waited, you worried for Yugi, for Mokuba, for your Pharaoh, and for Seto himself. "I hope I'm not too late," you murmured to yourself uneasily. 

"Time is running out, Y/N," you could hear Noah on the intercom as you were approaching the floor. "If you don't get Seto and Mokuba out soon, as well as yourselves, your minds will be lost forever." 

"Totally makes me feel better," you murmured with a soft chuckle to yourself, attempting to stay as positive as you could. 

You came in just at the point that you could watch Seto defeat his stepfather, and thankfully moved his platform towards the wall. "Seto!" You called out hastily, worry apparent in your face. "Jump!" 

The two of you were cornered by Gozoboro, on top of the roof of the Virtual World. "We're cornered!" You exclaimed, as you had almost fallen off of the roof itself. Your eyes shifted over to Seto uneasily, seeing the fear laced in those normally icy blue eyes. 

"You two have to jump!" Noah exclaimed. 

Biting your lip, you listened to Seto begin to argue before you grabbed the man's large, slender hand. "We have to listen to him, come on," you said as you began to pull him. 

After a moment, he jumped willingly with you, holding on tightly to your hand as a comfort of the fall. Underneath the two of you, a portal opened, clearly a door that Noah had opened for the two of you. Thankfully the two of you had passed back into the real world in the knick of time, your body slowly waking in the real world. 

As you pushed open the pod that held you, your eyes met large, concerned lilac eyes. You could swear there were tears welling in the reincarnation's eyes as a smile formed upon his lips. "You two made it!" he exclaimed happily, pulling your groggy body into a tight hug. 

Your thoughts were quickly snatched back up as you could hear Seto calling for his brother. "Mokuba!" He exclaimed, staring into the glass of the pod his brother's body lay. "Mokuba, you've got to wake up!"


	35. XXXV

You were over by Mokuba's pod faster than you ever thought possible, especially with the toll that lying in the pod had taken upon your body. Shortly after, you could hear the footsteps of Yugi joining by the two of your sides as you gazed at the young boy still lying there. Relief washed over you as the boy began to stir, a smile tugging upon his elder brothers lips that you could see from the corner of your eye. 

Before anyone could get a word in edge-wise, Mokuba exclaimed, "Seto, Noah's still inside!" 

"Alert," the computer began saying, "Alert. Central computer network will destruct." 

The four of you had absolutely no time to talk about Noah, as you had to take off running towards the blimp. With Seto's long legs, he was in the lead, while you were not much far behind him. Mokuba and Yugi were running a little behind the two of you with their shorter legs, though everyone was at their absolute top speed. 

"Evacuate the base immediately," the computer continued saying as the group ran as fast as they could. 

"Why did Noah have to go back to that place, guys?" Mokuba asked, despite the running. "It's not fair."

"If I were to guess, Gozoboro," you said breathlessly as you continued running with the group. 

Nothing else was said as the group ran, finally making it to the platform as the blimp was already taking off. Everyone ran at top speed while Joey and Duke screamed for the four of you to hurry. You could vaguely hear the commands of the blimp through the wind blowing around you all, and watched as the rest thrusters were engaged while the four of you still were on the ground. 

Duke and Joey held out their hands while Tristab anchored Joey to the Blimp. Mokuba exclaimed that he wasn't going to make it, while Seto immediately grabbed him and threw him at Duke before springing on board himself. Joey was able to get Yugi's hand just in time as well. Since you had let the others get on first, you were left with no hands to grab, and attempted to grab the side of the stairs. 

Off-balance, you were nearly going to fall, now dangling over the ocean. Thankfully, you finally felt a hand grab your own, pulling you upward. Mokuba had crawled off of Duke, and he had managed to grab your hand just before you were going to slip, pulling you onto the stairs. As you got inside, Joey called, "They're in. Now let's get out of here!" 

The group was mostly huddled upon the floor, as you had taken shelter between Yugi, who was partially on top of you, and Seto, who was practically stepping on you. The whole blimp shook violently as the explosion from the missle occurred behind it, causing everyone to groan and attempt to stay where they were. Seto ran off to the control room, while you crawled yourself closer to Mokuba to protect the terrified boy. 

Placing a hand upon his shoulder gently, despite your own anxious state, you murmured softly, "Your brother just ran off to the control room. Everything's going to be fine." 

The boy glanced back at you, and you could see the fear in his large eyes as he did. He attempted to put on a gentle smile for you, but as the blimp continued to shake, he was pushed into you. You wrapped the arm that was previously on his shoulder around him as you used your other arm to steady the two of you. "Why are you always so nice to me?" He asked, fear shaking his voice. 

You smiled gently despite yourself as you strained to answer, saying, "You're a good kid, with a good heart. I care about my friends, after all." 

"Thank you," he said as he curled into your arms more, a few stray tears falling down his face out of fear as the blimp continued to shake. 

Seto had hit the emergency button upon the control panel, ridding the blimp of the balloon and switching it into more of a plane to escape the explosion. The entire time, you held onto Mokuba closely, making sure the boy was alright during the whole transition. As the turbulence was finally dying down, Seto ran back out to see you holding onto his brother tightly. 

A soft smile tugged at his lips as he knelt down beside the two of you. You were just realizing that the turbulence was stopping, and began removing your arm from the boy. Before you could get up, your eyes met the icy blue of Seto's orbs, which seemed softer than normal as he lended both of his hands out, one to you, and one to his brother. 

You both quickly took the gesture, and as you released his hand, Seto brought Mokuba into a hug. From over his brother, his eyes still fixated on you, and he mouthed a very rare  _ thank you _ . It was so rare, that you knew not to make a deal of it, simply nodding at him with a smile tugging at your own lips. Between the whole ordeal in Virtual Reality and now, you had ended up helping the Kaiba brothers more than either of them would have dreamt someone to even care, and though the younger of the two could express his gratitude freely, it had taken a lot for the brunette. 

Once you walked away from them, you offered your hands out to Yugi and Tea, who were closest to you first. Both were thankful, pulling themselves to their feet as the others pushed themselves upward in the meantime. "You guys all alright?" You said softly, glancing between the rest of the group. 

You received a variety of nods from the group, before everyone made their way over to the windows to glance at the now burning computer station. A soft frown graced your lips as you watched in silence while the others spoke of Noah, talking about how he had likely made a backup of his computer file. Though you did in fact hope that the boy had somehow survived the explosion, you could never be too sure of it. 

"Alright," Seto said finally, his voice cold once more. "That little detour was a complete waste of my time and effort. Let's move on and pretend that nonsense never happened. It's time for us to continue the Battle City Finals. Set us back on course, to Kaiba Corp island." Though the last of his words were spoken as he glanced back at the group of you all, he directed his words towards his pilot. 

"Yes, sir!" The pilot exclaimed. 


	36. XXXVI

The group had made their way back to the rooms for the meantime, as there was a little bit of time before the plane would reach the island itself. Joey and Serenity had gone back to Joey's room with Duke, Tristan, and Tea, while Yugi followed you. You initially presumed he was just following because his room was nearby, until you realized he had followed you completely inside your room. 

Turning back, you watched as he flashed a light from the Millennium Puzzle, before in front of you stood the one person you had been dying to see for most of the excursion. Your lips curled into a smile as your eyes landed upon his piercing, deep lilac eyes. "My Pharaoh," you said with a relieving voice, your mind exhausted from the ordeal that everyone was subjected through. 

"I wanted to see you before the finals," he said sweetly, before he moved over to you and wrapped his slender, strong arms around your waist. "My Queen." 

You wrapped your arms around his neck, pulling him into a passionate kiss. Tasting his sweet lips, you relished in the flavor of your husband, as you had missed it so. You felt him pull you closer to him as the two of you kissed, not even bothering to fully close the door quite yet as the two of you rediscovered your lips. After a while, your lungs begged for oxygen the same way they had when you had been running for your life, the two of you separating. 

"I've been waiting so long to feel you in my arms again," you mused out breathlessly as your forehead rested against his own, eyes locked in a loving stare as the two of you caught your breaths. "For a Virtual World, I feel like my mind has been running a marathon." 

He chuckled softly, saying, "It was strenuous indeed. I was so worried when you went to get Kaiba." 

Now it was your turn to chuckle, your lips curled into a smile. "If your destiny wills me to fight to save the world at your side, there was no way I was going to let my mind die in some virtual reality," you assured him sweetly. 

Atem smiled back at you, saying, "You are truly the kindest woman I've ever met." 

"And that's precisely the reason why one out of two current evils wants to kill us," you retorted with a chuckle. "But thank you, my love." 

"Wasn't Bakura wiped out?" He asked curiously, his eyebrow raising. 

You grimaced as the two of you separated, you moving to the bed as you patted a spot for him. "For namesake," you said quickly, "Yes." As you motioned for his hand, you took his slender digits and moved it to touch the invisible ring upon your neck gently. "Not gone, but not falling into the wrong hands." 

He grimaced, before nodding thoughtfully. "At least in safe hands," he murmured out softly. "Do you know what you're doing, though?" 

You nodded to him, allowing him to take his hand back before resting your head upon his shoulder. "I do, and in this case, the world is safe from something for the time being," you assured him in a soft tone, making sure that Marik would not be able to hear if he had been listening in. 

Atem wrapped his closest arm around you, pulling you close as you rested your head upon him. The two of you stayed like that, in silence, for a little while. Simply enjoying the presence of one another was enough, as you had missed your Pharaoh dearly. 

After a while, he finally whispered out, "You do know, even though I don't fully have my memories, I love you as much as I did 5,000 years ago." 

You could not help but allow your lips to tug into more of a smile at his words, and you had glanced up from his shoulder to see him glancing down at you lovingly. "I'm curious, is it from your memories, or from our interactions now?" You asked him, genuinely wondering what his answer would be. After all, though the Pharaoh had recovered most of his memories, the two of you had been slowly, yet surely, making new ones as you went. 

"Both, my Queen," he said with a soft chuckle, before placing a careful kiss upon your forehead. "I loved you then, and fell in love with who you are now as well. Each day I get to actually spend with you makes me fall more and more." 

"I could say the same," you murmured out softly. "Though I do long for us to finally rest, enjoying our lives once again back in Egypt, I do relish in the moments I spend with you now as well." 

You were not sure which one of you initiated the next kiss, but before you knew it, you were wrapped tightly in your Pharaoh's slender arms, lips connected once more. He managed to get you lying down, where you were slightly underneath him as the two of you kissed, his tongue exploring your mouth as if he was memorizing each and every crevice of your mouth, each curve and bump. The sweet taste of his lips was almost indescribable, and yet it was your favorite taste as you lied underneath your husband, completely at his will. 

The two of you enjoyed one another's lips until the rude interruption upon the intercom sounded, warning every duelist that you would be landing upon the island. Begrudgingly, the two of you separated once more, though it was a great deal slower than before. He took each moment he could to have you in his arms before helping you back to your feet as the aircraft was landing. 

"We are now beginning our descent upon Kaiba Corp Island," the intercom rang out. "For the conclusion of the Battle City Finals. When we touch down, please exit the aircraft and await further instructions." 

As the two of you stood, you gripped his hand reassuringly for the last time before the Battle City Finals. "We must defeat Marik," Atem said confidently. "Before he takes anyone else to the shadow realm." 

You nodded confidently, giving him a smile despite yourself. "Please be careful, my Pharaoh," you said softly. 

  
  



	37. XXXVII

Walking into the dueling tower, you took a longing glance over at your Pharaoh before straightening yourself fully as you listened to the man in front of you. You could not help but feel some anxiety rising in your chest, though knowing that Atem was not far from your side during this journey did happen to make you feel the slightest bit better. The dark version of Marik was not helping your nerves, though, as he kept smirking over at you. 

"Your attention, please!" Thr Kaiba Corp employee started off. "Step to the center of the tower. The second half of the Battle City Finals will take place right here." 

"So far, it's not so impressive," Joey said as everyone was looking around. 

You could not help but roll your eyes at Joey's words, as knowing Seto, there was some technology magic to come in this mystical tower of his. There was no way that he would have duelist battle for the finals in something small and unimpressive, after all. As you could feel Marik's eyes once again, you shrunk over closer to your Pharaoh, staying as far away from the dark Marik as you possibly could. Tea had commented as well about the looks of the arena, but you were too distracted trying to stay away from Marik to even hear her. 

"As you know," the proctor continued, "there are five finalists remaining. Yugi, Y/N, Joey, Marik, and of course, Mr. Kaiba. You'll notice we're surrounded by five doors. Each finalist must choose a door through which to enter. Choose wisely." 

As you heard the man's words, you begun biting your lip gently, wondering what exactly was going on for these whole finals. Based on the context, it likely was going to choose who you would be facing off against, and yet, you wondered if it was not that at all. Seto set something up for the finals, and yet your mind was wandering to what the purpose of these doors was. The fate of the world was at stake, and for now you must merely choose a door. 

As you realized that everyone was debating the doors ever so carefully despite Seto himself, you sucked in a deep breath before walking to the door in front of you. In actuality, as long as you were able to win your first match up, it did not matter who you would face...unless it was Marik or the Pharaoh. If it was the Pharaoh, and you were to somehow defeat him, then you would be stuck with the fate of the world in your own hands. If it was Marik, you could likely be sent to the shadow realm if you were to lose. 

Joey was doing a potato song to choose a door, and landed upon Marik's door, just to watch the boy walk right into it without even giving him a sparing glance. You watched from your own door as Seto, Marik, Atem, and finally Joey entered their doors. Mokuba took anyone not participating in the duels themselves elsewhere as you took a glance around the room you stood in. Walking carefully to the platform, you took your spot, awaiting the finals to begin. 

You almost squeaked as you felt the platform begin to raise with you on it, but you steadied yourself as you awaited your inevitable fate. Seto chided Joey as the four of you took your positions, you facing Seto, while your Pharaoh was to one side of you, Marik on the other, and Joey in between Kaiba and Marik. Though you stood silently, you allowed your eyes to wander around the room, a determined glare in your eyes. Shifting your gaze to your millennium rose, you could not help but think of this as a step closer to finally going home with your love. 

"Before the winner of the Battle City Tournament can be crowned, we must first narrow down the finalists," the Kaiba Corp employee spoke out, getting everyone's attention. "So, in the semi-final round, the four remaining duelists will be reduced to two. But first, gentleman and lady, the preliminary duel must be played. This special duel will determine who faces who in the semifinals, and all five duelists will participate at one time. As you lose lifepounts, your terminal will climb higher. The first two duelists to reach the top will face each other in round one. Each duelist will begin with 4,000 life points, and when it's your turn, you can attack any of the other players. And now, for some new regulations. You must all limit your dueling decks to no more than 40 cards, so take this time to prepare your decks." 

The employee explained to connect the duel disks and how the first person to go would be chosen. You finally noticed after a few moments the intense stare that Seto had upon you, likely because of the Egyptian God Card. Seto managed to end up going first due to risking a high card, while you were in the cycle to be nearly last. 

Believing in the heart of the cards, and in your dear Pharaoh, you actually had a relatively good first hand. With a Ferril Imp in defense mode and two face down cards, you were able to end your turn. When Atem attempted to defend Joey from Seto, Seto began taunting Joey incredibly. Though you wished to speak up, to silence the man, he was not incredibly wrong in the aspect of not having Joey be defended by the Pharaoh. It was not a tag team battle, after all. 

"Alright, now it's time I'll take charge of this duel," Marik said after their bickering, before he attacking Kaiba's Vorse Raider. He then directed his magic card towards Joey, causing him to lose life points. You were feeling more and more anxious as the battle continued, especially with Marik smirking over at you. 

"Ah, my Queen, don't look so tense," the dark Marik said sinisterly as he began chuckling, causing you to cringe. "Once I have your husband's power, we'll rule together." 

"In your dreams," you murmured out with a huff, before watching as Atem took his turn. 

Atem was clearly trying to make it so Marik and him would face off in the semi finals, yet, the only person who had yet to lose life points so far was you. In a sense, you felt like something was trying to protect you, while you wanted to be the one to crush the boy who hurt you so badly. Watching as turn after turn took place, the two to reach the top were Marik and Joey, much to your own and your Pharaoh's dismay. None of this spelled out anything positive to come.


	38. XXXVIII

With Joey officially in critical condition, the tournament still went on as planned, despite the group's argument to otherwise. Seto Kaiba stood with a smirk upon his face as his icy blue eyes gazed between the two strongest duelists he had ran across in his time dueling. Though he wished to duel both participants, he would settle upon whomever would be able to trounce whom. 

You stood on your side of the tournament field, your y/e/c eyes glancing upon your hand, and shifting back to the field as you stood across from your love. Though all you desired was to back up your dearest Pharaoh, you were pit against him in the semi-finals, where only one of the two of you would end up being able to trounce Marik. The fate of the world was drawing closer by the moment. 

"I do hope you know to give me your all, Y/N," he spoke in his deep, smooth voice as he gripped his own cards tightly. His deep lilac eyes glanced through you as they gazed upon you, causing you to swallow hard as you gazed back upon them. "I have faith in you." 

You could not help but feel a hint of blush scatter over your pale cheeks as you simply nodded to your husband, before taking your first turn. "As I have faith in you, my Pharaoh," you said quickly, before you drew. "I place a card face down in defense mode, and one card face down." Gently, you bit your lip as your eyes met his lilac eyes once more. "And I end." 

Atem chuckled gently at your seriousness, not often seeing you as such in front of him personally, before he took his own turn. "I place Big Shield Gardna in defense mode, and two cards face down," he said, glancing back up at you. "And I end my turn." 

"You two are so boring," you could hear Seto groan from the sidelines. 

You rolled your eyes at the peanut gallery, before allowing a confident smirk to cross your lips. When you had drawn for your next turn, you had received a fun card for later, as well as a monster card that you could use to take out his Big Shield Gardna. Going on as such, you watched as your Pharaoh seemed to be holding back on you, otherwise he was just not getting adequate cards. 

"I expect your all as well, my Pharaoh," you chided as you ended your turn, placing one extra face down card that would be activated with a simple attack. 

You watched as he bit his lip gently, and soon after, the duel had drastically changed. Though you were able to call some powerful monsters to the field, your Pharaoh had plenty of tricks up his sleeve. A few tricks that you had pulled yourself were Negate Attack, Exchange, as well as bringing out Magician of Black Chaos. 

The time was coming, and you shuddered at the thought as you held Slifer in your hands. Your life points were already down to 1500, while your husband's were at a mere 500, but you knew for a fact that Atem always seemed to pull through when the chips were down. Though you did not want to pull out your Egyptian God Card upon him, you saw no other choice in the matter, and knew you would be chided for holding back if he knew. 

Taking in a deep breath, you glanced into his lilac eyes before calling your beast. "Come forth, Slifer the Skydragon," you murmured out as the hologram pulled itself from your duel disk, appearing to take up most of the field's sky as it flew in all it's glory. "And with four cards in my hand, my god has 4000 attack points." 

You could hear Atem and Seto both audibly gasp at the reveal of your god card, though both had seen Slifer played by you once in the past. The last time either had seen your treasure, Seto practically threw himself off of that ledge to save his brother's soul from Pegasus. As they both gaped for a moment at your creature, you could hear a faint voice in your head. 

_ "Miss me yet, Y/N?"  _ You could hear the faint voice of Bandit King throwing you off as he spoke in your head, likely from the Millenium Ring that hung around your neck. 

You spoke back in your own thoughts as you tried to multitask, focusing upon your battle at the same time.  _ "Unless you are here to cheer me on, old friend, I would prefer our conversation is moved to later on," you said in a bored tone in your mind. "I do have a duel to finish, but it is nice to hear you're alright."  _

You could hear the chuckling of Bakura in your mind as the the battle came to its conclusion. Though you had Atem at a wall with your Egyptian God Card, he had managed to bypass it and defeat you with some difficulty. He ended up with only 100 life points as your own dropped to 0, but you could not help but allow a smile to cross your face. 

As he was announced the winner of the duel, the two of you met in the middle, and you had something special for him trapped between your fingers tightly, yet gently. Bakura had gone quiet, much to your own relief. You felt strong arms wrap around your waist, pulling you in closely. 

"You fought elegantly, as always, my Queen," he murmured out with a smile upon his face. 

You could not help but chuckle softly, your own lips curled into a smile. "You faced my Skydragon and still trounced me, my Pharaoh," you replied warmly. "I want you to have it." 

"You want to give me Slifer?" He said in a shocked tone, his deep lilac eyes searching your own y/e/c eyes. 

You brought the hand up that held your Slifer, allowing Atem to take it hesitantly from your hand. "You must stop Marik, and the God cards are going to be key to saving the world," you replied in a serious tone. "Though, yes, you must get past Seto first. I do know you'll succeed." 

"Your confidence is astounding," he said with a chuckle, before placing Slifer with his other cards and wrapping his arms around you once more. "Thank you, Y/N/N." 

You wrapped your arms tightly around your Pharaoh's neck, before pulling him in closely and placing a passionate kiss against his lips. Feeling him smile into the kiss, the two of you simply enjoyed one another for the rarity of time you had together before he would have to face Seto Kaiba. Though the brevity was unfortunate, you did relish in the kiss. 

"I love you, Atem," you breathed out as he rested his forehead against your own. 

"I love you as well, Y/N," he replied, before pulling you into another kiss. This one was brief, more like a peck than a true kiss, before the two of you were unfortunately interrupted. It was now your turn to cheer on your Pharaoh, and pray that his strength would conquer over the evil that the dark Marik planned to bring. 

As the two of them set up for their own match, you stood on the sidelines watching your Pharaoh shuffle his deck and ready himself. In your mind, though you wished to simply enjoy the battle, you knew another needed attention as well. Pursing your lips, you spoke in your mind.  _ "And what did you wish to speak of, Bakura?"  _ You thought to the temporary occupant. 


	39. XXXIX

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really need to fix these Roman Numerals. I'm sure I'm doing them improperly. 
> 
> This chapter, unlike the last, is going to be a lot more action than fluff. Fluff will be coming again soon, and the Battle City Finals will be concluding soon as well. I have yet to decide if I'm going to go through the entire series itself (seeing as I did make one fatal mistake that makes the last arc a little...difficult). 
> 
> This will be cross posted to Wattpad later today as well.

_ "Ah, so you finally have time for me?"  _ Bakura replied, almost venomously.  _ "It's bad enough having to watch the two of you suck each other's faces off."  _

_ "Very funny,"  _ you replied, needing to stop yourself from outwardly rolling your eyes at the spirit.  _ "You've been on my neck for a while, Bakura. Why suddenly come to chat now?"  _

_ "It's not merely chatting, Y/N/N,"  _ he replied darkly.  _ "I need a little help getting the rest of my soul."  _

_ "What part of your soul am I talking to?"  _ You questioned curiously, though while you talked to Bakura, the duel was beginning. Outwardly, you attempted to make it seem as if you were being supportive from the sidelines, giving Atem a confident smile as you watched him face his long time rival. Internally, though, you wished you could simply sit this duel out and deal with your guest. 

You could hear Bakura chuckle in your mind, before he spoke,  _ "The part that you loved, you know, if you ever did." _ His voice was dripping with sarcasm, mixed with the smallest bit of malice. Though it was truly infuriating to hear him joke about it, you could not merely flinch in the conscious world without giving away your situation.  _ "The remainder of me is currently in the shadow realm, due to Marik."  _

_ "And what can I do about any of that?"  _ You shot back quickly, before internally frowning.  _ "Sorry, everything has just been stressful. I don't mean to snap at you."  _

You could hear the smirk in Bakura's voice as he chided,  _ "The great Queen Y/N showing compassion to a simple Bandit - how delightful."  _

_ "Do you even fathom the fact that I care about you?"  _ You asked, anger rising in your chest as you spoke.  _ "Truly, you act as if the only way I could ever care about you is if I have some sort of longing towards you. Bakura, do you even recall how much we've done for one another? I understand your malice towards me - I truly do - but don't think for a second that I didn't think of your well-being."  _

_ "If you had thought of my well-being, Y/N, would I not have been the one you married?"  _ He spat back acidically.  _ "You threw me aside when you met the Pharaoh. As soon as you were offered a place inside the temple, you left me, Y/N."  _

_ "I shouldn't have simply left, no," you replied, trying to keep yourself as cool as possible. "On the other hand, I saw you in a different light than you did I. Out of everyone in Egypt, you could have had anyone you desired. You were the Bandit King, Bakura, and yet you would not simply allow me to be happy."  _

_ "I could have made you happier, Y/N,"  _ he countered. _ "I could have made you my Queen, and we could have taken Egypt together. Egypt took our families away from us, and yet you still married the Pharaoh. Are you an idiot or something?"  _

_ "Bakura, I'm not going to sit here and explain to you how I fell in love with the Pharaoh, nor how it was not his decisions that befell the village,"  _ you replied in anger.  _ "Now, do you want my help, or do you simply wish to keep bantering about the past? I'm sure you would rather be whole."  _

The spirit inside your mind internally groaned _ ,  _ before saying _ , "You're quite right. My soul is in the shadow realm, and the only way to set it free is to stop the dark side of Marik."  _

Furrowing your brows, you wondered if your old friend simply thought you were playing ping pong or something, seeing as it was your goal in the first place.  _ "And that shall be done, but what do you want from me?"  _ You asked hastily, your patience running thin. The conclusion of the duel in front of you was nearing with each moment, and though you had confidence in your husband, you did not want to play little mind games with your old, corrupted friend all day. 

_ "You must confront him yourself,"  _ he replied, aggravation clear in his tone.  _ "Get the small part of his consciousness's attention. I bloody know you are incapable of defeating him yourself, but if you are to talk to his regular self, he could have a chance to take over his own body. The regular Marik is not bad." _

You rolled your eyes internally, trying not to show how confused and aggravated you were getting on the outside.  _ "And do you suppose you know where he is, Bakura?"  _ You replied hastily, knowing that the mere thought of you leaving during this battle would raise more than a few questions. Though it would, you would not be able to help it. If the fate of the world rested upon it, the small side note that you were helping Bakura would be minuscule. 

_ "He's watching this battle right now,"  _ he said, his voice belaying to a whisper as he spoke.  _ "But you will find him outside of the arena."  _

You made haste to move to the shadows, praying that your husband was so fixated upon the heart of the cards that he would not notice your departure. After all, he would likely understand the necessity to check on Yugi's friend, which could easily be an excuse. Though you hated the idea of lying to the man you loved, if this could turn the tables and ensure the safety of the world, it was worth a little risk. 

Bakura had not been wrong when he had you confront the Dark Marik, though the little shadow trick he pulled upon you nearly rendered you unconscious the moment that you stepped out of the arena. When your voice rung out, it was not you speaking, and part of you wondered if this was how Yugi felt on a daily basis. Your voice was deep, smooth, and the small bit of kindness littered inside his words reminded you of the child you once called your friend. 

"Marik, you have taken this bit too far," Bakura spoke through your mouth, your own mind taking a back seat breather. 

You could feel exhaustion taking you, though your will to fight it was too strong. Though you did not fight the man that currently possessed you, you fought your body's own wooziness. Watching the scene through your own eyes was like watching the two speak through a hazy window. 

"How sad, Bakura," the Dark Marik chimed out, his smirk clear against his features as he began walking closer to your body. "You've taken over my Queen's body. Do you know what kind of punishment you will befall?" 

"Marik, you're still in there," Bakura continued, ignoring the monster's taunts. "You must take over and end this." 

"That pathetic mortal?" Dark Marik chided with a sinister laugh to follow. "He's so weak, and once I defeat the Pharaoh, his spirit will join yours in the shadow realm." 

"That's where you're wrong," you could hear another person enter the conversation, only to be faced with Tea coming out and taking the Millennium Rod off of the ground, wielding it as if she knew what she was doing. 

That was the moment that it dawned upon you, and you figured that Bakura noticed it as well with the smirk that placated your features through his will. The games against the Dark Marik were turning back into the favor of the world, though your husband would need to defeat Seto Kaiba, and then Dark Marik to restore order. Fate rested in strong hands, until Dark Marik turned the tables upon a now unconscious Tea, Bakura retreating in your body. 

_ "If I allow you to take control once more, you're going to end up unconscious, Y/N,"  _ Bakura warned in his mind as the two of you were heading back to where the duel was taking place.  _ "But there is no way I am sharing the Pharaoh's victory with him."  _

_ "I have the will of consciousness, Bakura," _ you chided, though your mind itself was weary. 

_ "I'm not going to risk you losing the Millennium Ring,"  _ he warned, walking back to the conclusion of the duel. 

Your eye windows showed you your husband in triumph, while Seto Kaiba had a look of sheer aggravation upon his face. As Atem walked closer to you, though, you yearned to kiss his lips and praise his victory. Those deep lilac eyes threw a hint of concern as he walked towards you, and your body purposely stepped further away as he went to touch you. 

"Y/N is taking the backseat for now," Bakura said through your mouth, his words dripping with malice towards the Pharaoh. "She ran a little errand, and will be rendered unconscious if I allow her back quite yet." 

Atem visibly grimaced, anger flickering in his deep lilac eyes. "What did you do to her, Bakura?" He spat out venomously. You watched through your eye windows as he closed his fists tightly, anger pouring through him. 

"I'm only here to help for now," Bakura spat back, his voice nearly as venomous. "And you can blame Dark Marik for rendering Y/N so weak, not me." 

"Why would you help us?" Atem asked, his voice still holding a bit of malice, though he had significantly calmed his anger towards Bakura. 

Bakura crossed your arms over your chest before speaking once again, your eyes narrowed upon Atem with his will. "Because I would never hurt Y/N, and there's a touch of mutual benefit," he replied in a bored, almost amused tone as he spoke. "Oh, and she says congrats." 

  
  
  
  



	40. XL

DUE TO REQUEST:  
This last chapter is voided.  
Which means; this will be continued. I planned on wrapping this up at the Battle City Finals conclusion (especially since I screwed up a key part that will be tackled in later chapters). 

I am currently working on organizing everything, so I'm not placing an ETA on this yet. This "chapter" will be deleted and another chapter will be in its place once this is truly continued.


End file.
